











COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 










/ • 



















THE 


PENNANT 















* 










0 


- 


I 




% 























































































































































- % 

• . 


“ ^he opposing batter now advanced to the plate ” 


‘Page / 65 



D Q 


THE 

PENNANT 


EVERETT T. TOMLINSON 

• * 

Author of 

“The Winner Series,” “The Ward Hill Series” 
“The Blue and Buff Series,” etc. 


PHILADELPHIA 

The Griffith & Rowland Press 

BOSTON CHICAGO ST. LOUIS 
TORONTO. CAN. 



Copyright 1912 by 
A. J. ROWLAND, Secretary 

Published October, 1912 


» • t 

<9 


0 /^'T 

' 4 

©CLA328073 

Hft / 


PREFACE 


The interest in young life does not seem to be 
limited to young people. The problems that our 
boys and girls are compelled to face are few, 
though they present themselves in many disguises. 
The solution of these problems cannot be found 
by proxy. The best those who would aid can do is 
to try to point out certain laws and results that are 
as unchanging as the sun. But the method of a 
generation ago of pointing a moral in order to adorn 
a tale is no longer possible or desirable. The boys, 
and those who write for them, alike rebel. The 
lesson must be in the story, not after it. 

The incidents in this story were taken from life 
and, therefore, cannot be untrue to life. The many 
friends of “ Ward Hill ” have often urged me to 
write another story of school life. This at last I 
have tried to do in “ The Pennant,’’ looking at the 
same problems from a different point of view. The 
continued interest of my young readers has been my 
chief inspiration. 


Elizabeth, N. J. 


Everett T. Tomlinson. 































/ 







CONTENTS 


Chapter Page 

I. On Six Town Pond n 

II. Dan's Project 20 

III. Great Snakes 29 

IV. The Reward of Patience 38 

V. Preparation 48 

VI. The Game 57 

VII. A Dispute 67 

VIII. A Record 76 

IX. Studying a Boy 86 

X. Mr. Borden Decides 96 

XI. A Refusal . . . 106 

XII. Dan Reconsiders 116 

XIII. Entering School 126 

XIV. New Acquaintances 135 

XV. Walter's Suggestions 145 

XVI. A Scrub Game 154 


CONTENTS 


Chapter Page 

XVII. A Try-out 164 

XVIII. A New Pitcher 173 

XIX. School Life 181 

XX. A Change in Walter 193 

XXL Dan's Troubles 202 

XXII. Changed Relations 212 

XXIII. An Unexpected Visitor 222 

XXIV. The Opening of the League 

Games 232 

XXV. A Plot 237 

XXVI. Walter's Illness 252 

XXVII. The League Game 260 

XXVIII. The End of the Game 271 

XXIX. The Anger of the Nine 281 

XXX. Dan's Struggle 290 

XXXI. The Final Game 299 

XXXII. Conclusion 309 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

" The opposing hatter now advanced to the 
plate” Frontispiece 

“ Conversation ceased as Walter sharply yanked 

his rod” 18 ^ 

“Walter beheld a snake ” 3 2 u" 

“He was busied in his own practice ” 56 / 

“‘No one else saw it/ growled the captain”. 73 

“ ‘ But, man, you aren't going to pay the 

bills "' , 106 ^ 

“‘ You get out of this room'” 206 ^ 

“ ‘ I was just going to crawl away "' 242 \/ 

“The pitcher handled himself well” 265^ 

“ ‘ You're all right, Dan '" 306 v 





















4 











* 






















THE PENNANT 


CHAPTER I 

ON SIX TOWN POND 

H AVE you tried the fishing this summer ? ” 

“ No ; I’ve been too busy on the farm. 
This is the first day I have had when I could get 
away.” 

“ It looks like rain. Is that the reason why you’ve 
dropped the shovel and the hoe ? ” 

“ Partly. It’s more though, for the two dollars 
a day you’ve agreed to pay me for rowing you over 
the pond. I can’t pick that up on the farm, you 
know.” 

“ You’ll soon be a rich man if you don’t look out. 
Ever thought what you’d do with all your money ? ” 
“Yes; I’ve thought a good lot about it. Per- 
haps ‘ thinking ’ about it is as far as I’ll ever get 
with it.” 

“ How are you going to invest it ? ” 

“ I’d like to get enough to help me go to school.” 


‘Page 12 


‘Tjhe Pennant 


Walter Borden sat quietly erect in the stern of 
the rude skiff in which he was seated, lazily hold- 
ing a rod in his hands from which a long line was 
paid out in the hope that some stray pickerel in Six 
Town Pond might be tempted by the bait displayed. 

A half-hour before the time when the conversation 
recorded above had taken place he and his com- 
panion, Dan Richards, had driven seven miles from 
the home of Walter’s grandfather, for the day, 
which was to be devoted to fishing in the pond, that 
extended three miles in length and in places was a 
mile or more wide. The little body of water was 
well known in the region for the fish which were 
said to be found in its depths, and Walter was con- 
vinced that the reports were not exaggerated, for 
in numerous summers preceding the one when this 
story opens he had tested the fact with varying 
degrees of success. 

Every summer Walter came from his home in 
New York to spend at least a part of his vacation 
on the farm of his Grandfather Sprague. The broad 
acres, the great roomy barns, the cattle and horses, 
the deep brook that sped swiftly through the pas- 
ture, even the old-fashioned farmhouse with its gar- 
ret and its broad piazzas, to say nothing of the 
many low rooms with their numerous windows, had 
every one a place dear to Walter’s heart. From his 
earliest recollections, here was the place where his 
summer days had been passed. So eager was he to 
come, that when he was only ten years old his 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 13 


father and mother had yielded to his pleadings and 
seen him safely entrusted to the conductor and 
porter of the sleeping-car, and alone he had gone 
on the journey of three hundred miles to Rodman, 
the little village a half-mile distant from Grand- 
father Sprague’s home. It is true this is the form 
which Walter took to describe the place, although 
an ordinary observer would have said that the 
Sprague farm was half a mile from the village. 

Later in the summer Mrs. Borden came to join 
her boy and pay her annual visit to her father 
and mother. Her words of wonderment, when 
she arrived, at the change in her boy’s appear- 
ance since he had left home did not vary much 
from year to year. The tanned cheeks, the firmer 
muscles, the keen appetite, that made Grandfather 
Sprague shake his head as the cook’s johnny-cakes 
disappeared twice a day almost as silently as the 
dew from the shaded lawn, were an annual delight 
to Mrs. Borden. 

“ Beats all how much a boy can hold,” Grand- 
father Sprague daily would say as he watched the 
hungry lad. 

Those days were gone now, for Walter Borden 
was a well-grown muscular boy of sixteen. “ I 
haven’t a doubt that I can put you on the bed 
yet,” laughed his grandfather, his eyes twinkling 
as he spoke. 

“ You’d better not try it,” laughed Walter’s 
mother, glancing in pride at her boy. 


Page 14 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Come on, grandfather,” Walter would call out 
laughingly ; “ try it ! ” 

“'Try it’!” retorted Grandfather Sprague. 
“ I’m not going to ‘ try ’ it ; I’m going to do it ! ” 

“When?” laughed Walter. 

“ One time is as good as another.” 

“Do it now! Do it now!” retorted the lad. 

“ You’re nothing but a little whipper-snapper. 
You don’t weigh more than a hundred and fifty.” 

“How much do you weigh, grandfather?” 

“ Two hundred and ten.” 

“ All right. You have the advantage in weight. 
I’ll not count it though, if you’ll put me on the bed.” 

“ Don’t try it, pa,” spoke up Grandmother 
Sprague. “ You might slip and break your leg.” 

“ Or hurt his pride,” laughed Walter, whose love 
and respect for his grandfather were almost as 
keen as was the old man’s love for the stalwart lad. 

“ Pooh, ma,” the old gentleman retorted a trifle 
testily. “ You don’t suppose I’m so old I can’t take 
my own grandson across my lap and spank him 
as he deserves, do you ? ” 

“ You might if he would lie still,” replied Mrs. 
Sprague dryly. “ But you and I were born on the 
same day and so I know just how old you are. 
You are seventy-seven — — ” 

“ And almost as spry as ever I was,” broke in 
her husband. “ I don’t feel a day older than when 
I was forty. The only thing that troubles me any 
is that I stub my toe more than I used to.” 


he ‘Pennant 


Page 15 


“You take my advice and don’t bother with 
Walter.” 

“ Well, to please you, ma, I’ll give him a day of 
grace. But I give you fair warning,” he would add 
turning to the laughing boy, “ that to-morrow at 
ten-thirty I shall give you what you deserve.” 

“ To-morrow at ten-thirty,” brought a daily repe- 
tition of the scene and conversation and not yet 
had Grandfather Sprague found just the time for 
displaying his prowess. His deep love for Walter 
was a source of joy to his grandson, who almost 
revered his portly, jolly, devout grandfather. His 
happiest days were those spent on the farm, and 
next to them were the visits of his grandfather 
and grandmother to the city. 

According to Grandfather Sprague, all the mem- 
bers of the family were in a conspiracy to “ spoil 
the boy,” that is, all except himself. He was for 
letting the boy know his proper place. But if any- 
one had ever heard of Grandfather Sprague refusing 
a request of Walter, or failing to be the first to 
herald his success in school or on the athletic field, 
he had held his peace so successfully that none had 
ever heard his testimony. 

Every spot and creature on the farm were known 
to Walter. He had tramped in the woods, fished 
in the brooks, ridden the horses, driven the cows 
from the pasture to the barns — in fact, in former 
years the only moments when he had not been busy 
had been those when his tired little body was asleep. 


‘Page 16 


^he ‘Pennant 


The collie and the horse which had been given him 
brought Walter’s life a little more closely into 
touch with animate things, but his chief interest 
aside from his grandfather’s place was in Dan 
Richards, who lived with his widowed mother and 
his brother Tom — a year and a half older than Dan 
— on the little farm adjoining. 

Dan’s skill in making whistles of the willows, 
his unusual strength, his quiet bearing had appealed 
strongly to Walter in other days. Even now, when 
both were older and Dan’s lack of money was as 
marked as was Walter’s freedom in its use and 
disregard of its true value, there was a similar 
feeling of regard in Walter’s heart. The dark eyes, 
the tall form, the quiet unassuming ways of Dan 
were still almost as strong in their appeal to Walter 
as were the undoubted possession of physical 
strength and skill which were Dan’s. The quiet 
manner in which Dan had accepted his friend’s 
offer to pay him for rowing on the pond had de- 
ceived Walter completely. His blue eyes, his light- 
brown hair, his well-knit muscular body — “ stocky ” 
Dan called him, were not in sharper contrast to 
Dan’s physical characteristics than were their dif- 
ferences in mind and temper. The offer to “ em- 
ploy” his old friend had meant little to Walter. 
How much of an effort it had been for Dan to 
accept he never for a moment even suspected. Even 
his expression of surprise when he looked up hastily, 
as Dan explained how he hoped to invest his earn- 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 17 


ings, did not have in it one glance of understand- 
ing. Dan and the little “ Rockland Farm,” which, 
with the best of care, provided only a scanty living 
for its owners, were almost inseparable in Walter’s 
mind. That Dan had ambitions beyond the limits 
of his farm or even beyond the little village of 
Rodman had not once occurred to Walter. 

“ School, Dan ? ” he exclaimed in surprise as he 
looked at his companion. 

“ Yes,” replied Dan quietly, without glancing at 
the fisherman. 

“What put that into your head?” 

“ Haven’t you ever heard of a fellow wanting 
to get an education ? ” 

“ Why yes, of course,” said Walter, “ but I hadn’t 
thought ” 

“Of me in that connection?” suggested Dan as 
his friend hesitated. 

“ I don’t know why I shouldn’t think of it,” 
said Walter hastily. 

“ But the fact is you hadn’t? ” 

“Yes, I suppose so. What are your plans?” 

“ I don’t know that I have any very definite 
‘ plans,’ as you call them. Last year there was a 
young fellow from college that taught our school. 
I guess he put it into my head. He seemed to be 
interested, and gave me some lessons every night 
after I had finished my chores.” 

“ In what?” 

“ Oh, in algebra and Latin.” 

B 


‘Page 18 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ And you have been working on them ? ” 

"A little. I had to be busy on the farm all 
day, and nights were the only times I had free.” 

“ Where do you plan to go ? ” 

“ I had been thinking some of going to the Normal 
School at Jericho. That’s only forty miles from 
here. It won’t cost very much there, you know. 
If I can get a little money ahead, I’m going to try 
it anyhow,” Dan said quietly. 

“ Going on to college? ” 

“ I should like to. The hardest thing is to leave 
my mother and Tom to run the farm. They need 
me and I don’t know that they really can get along 
without me.” 

“ Don’t they want you to go ? ” 

“ Yes. Mother says she’ll sell or mortgage the 
farm and go with me, if Tom will go too. She’d 
get a few rooms and perhaps take a few boarders 
and help us that way.” 

“ Your mother is all right.” 

“Don’t I know that?” 

“ You ought to, if any one does ” 

“You’ve got a strike,” broke in Dan quietly. 
“ Better pay attention to your fishing, that is, if you 
want to get any fish.” 

Conversation ceased as Walter sharply yanked his 
rod. “ The fish got away ! ” he exclaimed with 
chagrin a minute later. 

“Of course,” said Dan dryly. “ What did you 
expect? You pulled the hook right out of his 



“ Conversation ceased as Walter sharply yanked his rod ” 


‘ Page 1 8 

















































^ he ‘Pennant 


Page 19 


mouth. You don’t think a pickerel will hang on 
with his fins and tail, do you ? ” 

“ Show me how, Dan,” said Walter humbly. “ I 
believe I’ve forgotten how to do it.” 

“ No, you haven’t. You never knew how, so you 
haven’t forgotten. Hold on! You’ve got another 
strike ! Hand me your rod and I’ll try to show you 
how to handle a strike.” 


‘ Page 20 


‘C he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER II 
dan's project 

D AN took the light rod and instantly let out a 
few feet of the line. He dropped his oars as 
he did so and the skiff swung around before the 
gentle breeze that was blowing. Intently watching 
the line, he permitted the tip of the rod to drop 
back until it was even with the stern of the boat, 
and then with one strong yank he swung it back 
until it was again at a right angle with the skiff. 

“ Take your rod,” he said quietly, as he handed 
it to his companion. “ Your pickerel is hooked all 
right; now let me see you land it. Be careful 
of your slack,” he added quickly, as Walter began 
to reel in swiftly. 

The oars were again grasped by Dan, and he 
slowly sent the boat ahead, meanwhile watching his 
companion in the latter's efforts to land his prey. 
“ It’s a big fellow! ” said Walter in his excitement 
as the contest continued. “ It’ll weigh six pounds ! 
It pulls like a load of bricks! I didn’t know 
there was a pickerel as big as that in Six Town 
Pond!” 

“ Be careful,” said Dan in a low voice. “ Let 
him run ! Give him line or you’ll tear the hook out 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 21 


of his mouth ! Not that way ! ” he added, as Walter 
permitted the struggling fish to make swiftly for the 
near-by weeds. “If you let him get among those 
weeds he won’t stop to say good-bye.” 

!As Walter once more began to reel rapidly an 
expression of consternation swept over his face 
as he said, “ It’s gone ! There isn’t a bit of weight 
on the line ! It must have got away.” 

“ Reel in,” commanded Dan. 

“ I am reeling, but ” Walter stopped abruptly 

as a savage pull upon his line interrupted his decla- 
ration. 

The contest continued several minutes, neither of 
the boys speaking. Walter’s excitement was in- 
tense, and he stood up in the skiff to enable him to 
look for the struggling pickerel. 

“ Sit down ! ” ordered Dan a trifle sharply. 

“ I can see better when I’m standing,” replied 
Walter. “ There it is ! ” he shouted as his victim 
came within sight. “It’s a beauty! It’ll weigh 
more than six pounds! It’s the biggest pickerel 
I ” 

“ Look out ! Don’t let him touch the boat ! ” 
broke in Dan, as the huge pickerel made a sudden 
rush beneath the skiff. “ There ! You’ve lost it ! ” 
he added grimly, as the fish tore itself free from 
the hook and with a swift turn darted beyond the 
vision of the excited Walter. 

“ That’s strange,” muttered Walter, as in deep 
chagrin he resumed his seat. “ I don’t see how it 


Page 22 


e U he ‘Pennant 


got away. You couldn’t have hooked it very well 
in the first place, Dan.” 

The young oarsman smiled a trifle derisively 
as he said : “ A good fisherman doesn’t have to have 
a fish strapped and tied to land it. I told you not 
to stand up.” 

“ What difference does standing make ? ” 

“ You have to balance yourself as well as handle 
the rod. Only an expert can do that. Let me have 
your line. Your bait is gone.” 

As Dan drew in the line and again baited the 
hook Walter laughed as he said : “ Oh, well, Dan, 
I’ll soon get the trick of it again. You must 
remember that we don’t fish very much in the 
streets of New York.” 

“ So I hear,” quietly responded Dan as he handed 
back the fishing-rod. 

“ This time I’ll be careful, Dan,” continued Wal- 
ter, as he resumed his seat and let out his line again, 
while his oarsman sent the skiff more swiftly ahead. 

“ You’ll get it next time.” 

“ Let us hope so. Dan, how is the Rodman nine 
this summer?” 

“ Pretty fair. We have a game to-morrow.” 

“ Who is to be the victim ? ” 

“ I’ll tell you later about that.” 

“ What nine do you play ? ” 

“ The nine from Benson.” 

“ Same team you played last summer ? ” 

“ Yes.” 


‘‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 23 


“ Let me see ; the score last year was thirty-seven 
to nineteen, wasn’t it?’* laughed Walter. 

“ Yes.” 

“ What’ll it be this year ? ” 

“ I’m no prophet.” 

“ Seventy-four to thirty-eight ? ” 

Dan smiled good-naturedly as he replied: “We’ll 
have an umpire this year that can tell the difference 
between a foul ball and a bunt. There’s a fellow 
staying at the Wright place that knows baseball 
like a book.” 

“Who is he?” 

“ Moulton.” 

“What Moulton?” asked Walter, interested at 
once. 

“ He’s pitcher on one of the college nines.” 

“ It isn’t Moulton from Princeton, is it ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ How long has he been here ? ” 

“ About three weeks.” 

“ Great ! He’s one of the finest ! He struck 
out sixteen men in his first game this year ? ” 

“ Did he?” 

“ He did that,” said Walter, his interest becoming 
still more manifest. “ He’s one of the greatest 
college players ever known. The New Yorks of- 
fered him four thousand dollars a year to join 
their team.” 

“Well, he’s going to umpire the game for us 
to-morrow.” 


Vage 24 


'Che ‘Pennant 


“ Good ! Great ! He’ll be pretty sharp with you.” 

“ All right.” 

“ Who’s to pitch for your nine ? ” 

“ I am.” 

“Who is to catch?” 

“ Tom.” 

“ Your brother?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ I shouldn’t think you’d have time to practise.” 

“We don’t have much time.” 

“ How long have you been pitching ? ” 

“ Three weeks.” 

“ You played first base last year.” 

“ Yes.” 

“ What made you think you could pitch ? ” 

“ I don’t know that I can. I’ll tell you more 
about it to-morrow, after the game with Benson.” 

“ It’s a pity I didn’t come up a little sooner. I 
might have given you a little coaching. . Of course, 
I’m not a pitcher. I play short on the Tait School 
nine. But I know a little how it ought to be done, 
even if I can’t do it myself.” 

“ We have had a little coaching,” said Dan quietly. 

“ Who has been coaching you ? ” laughed Walter. 

“ Moulton.” 

“ What ? The Princeton pitcher ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ That’s great ! ” exclaimed Walter, his enthu- 
siasm returning in full measure. “ How does he do 
it ? When do you get the time ? ” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“Page 25 


“ He comes over to the house every night after 
supper.” 

“ And Moulton has been showing you how to 
do it?” 

“ He has been trying. He has done his best. If 
I don’t learn the fault isn’t his, anyway.” 

“ I wouldn’t miss that game to-morrow for a 
fortune. I’m going to see how much you can do.” 

“ Wouldn’t you like to play short?” 

“ I’m your man ! ” 

“ I thought you’d want to, so I saved the posi- 
tion for you.” 

“ That’s good of you ! I’ll try not to disgrace — 
hold on, I’ve got another strike! I don’t want 
to lose this fellow ! ” 

Once more Dan swung the skiff around until it 
was broadside to the struggling fish. He was too 
wise to make any suggestions to his companion at 
such a time, though he quizzically watched his friend 
as the latter attempted to follow the directions that 
had been given him before. The pickerel was 
securely hooked and at last Walter managed to bring 
his victim near enough to the boat to enable Dan 
to secure it with the aid of a landing-net. 

“ It’s only a little fellow ! ” exclaimed Walter in 
disgust, as he looked at the fish after it had been 
thrown upon the bottom of the boat. “ It won’t 
weigh more than a pound and a half. Not much 
like the big one that got away.” 

“ That’s a trick fish have,” remarked Dan dryly, 


‘Page 26 


'Che Pennant 


as he once more resumed his task at the oars, after 
he had placed a fresh bait on the hook. 

“ But the one I lost was a big one ! ” persisted 
Walter. 

“ That’s what I’m telling you. It will get bigger 
and bigger all the time. To-night when you go 
back to your grandfather’s, that pickerel will weigh 
ten pounds at the very least. The weight increases 
as the square of the distance.” 

“ That’s all right, Dan,” laughed Walter. “ Have 
it your own way. You’ll have to own up that I 
landed this fellow all right, anyway.” 

“ It couldn’t get away, it was hooked so well. 
You could have landed it with a block and tackle. 
It had swallowed the hook.” 

“ Well, you just watch me next time.” 

An hour elapsed, however, without another strike. 
The summer sun had climbed high into the heaven 
and the waters of Six Town Pond were almost 
like glass. Walter’s impatience increased as the 
time slowly passed. Even conversation ceased and 
at last Dan said: 

“ The water is almost too clear this morning, 
Walter. I’m afraid we sha’n’t get many pickerel 
to-day. It’s half past eleven,” he added as he 
glanced at his watch. “ Don’t you think we’d better 
row over to the bluff and get a few perch for 
dinner ? ” 

“ I’m ready,” responded Walter promptly. “ Shall 
I reel in?” 


^jhe ‘Pennant 


Page 27 


“No; you might as well troll while we’re cross- 
ing the pond. One never can tell, you know. By 
the way, Walter, is this a pond or a lake?” 

“ What’s the difference ? I always thought a 
pond was a small lake.” 

“ A lake has an outlet ; a pond doesn’t. No, 
it’s the other way.” 

“ Then Ontario and Erie ought really to be called 
Ontario Pond and Erie Pond — they both have out- 
lets.” 

“ Here we are,” replied Dan, as he rowed under 
the shadows of the high shore. “ Now you’ll have 
to show that you are a fisherman, Walter, or we 
sha’n’t have any fish for dinner. Here, let me 
change your tackle,” he added. In a brief time 
the change was made, and as Walter dropped his 
line into the water, Dan said : “ I’ll take this other 
pole and try my luck. When we get a half-dozen 
perch that will be enough and we’ll go ashore. 
There’s a stone fireplace up there among those 
cedars which we can use.” 

“ There was one last summer. Is this the same 
one ? ” 

“ I guess so; it hasn’t been disturbed. Now we’ll 
see which will get the first perch,” he added, as he 
dropped a line into the water on the opposite side 
of the boat. 

The question was speedily settled, for in a brief 
time Dan landed two perch in quick succession. 

“ I don’t see how you do it! ” exclaimed Walter. 


‘ Page 28 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


“ Then I’m afraid I can’t tell you,” said Dan 
good-naturedly, making his perch captive in the 
end of the boat. 

“ It’s just born in some people — hello! There! 
I’ve got a bite ! ” Walter’s attention was quickly 
centered upon the fish he had hooked and a few 
minutes later, after he had succeeded in landing his 
prey, he exclaimed : “ Mine is the biggest one yet ! 
You can count yours if you want to. I’ll just 
weigh mine.” 

“ All right. You might weigh this fellow too 
while you are in the business,” said Dan quietly, as 
he secured a perch much larger than his compan- 
ion’s. “ Two more will give us all we want.” 

The two additional perch were speedily secured, 
Dan catching both of them, and then the skiff was 
sent ashore and the boys leaped out and drew the 
little boat far up on the sandy beach. 


^Che ‘Pennant 


<Page29 


CHAPTER III 

GREAT SNAKES 

Y OU get some wood, Walter, and start a fire 
in the fireplace, while I am cleaning the fish 
and getting everything ready for dinner,” said Dan, 
as the two boys, with the fish they had caught and 
the cooking utensils in their hands, started toward 
the grove on the bluff. 

“ Where’ll I find an axe?” 

“ There's one in the skiff, but I don't believe 
you’ll need it. Just pick up some of the dead wood; 
that’s all we want.” 

“ I’ll have a roaring fire before you’re ready,” 
laughed Walter, as he turned among the trees. 
In a brief time he had collected sufficient wood, and 
a blazing fire was soon made in the rude fireplace. 
As he completed his task, Walter turned to his 
companion, who now was peeling some potatoes. 

“ Put the kettle on and fill it with water from the 
spring,” Dan said. “If you are as hungry as I am, 
you won’t want to lose much time. I’ll have these 
potatoes boiling before you know it, if you are 
lively.” 

“ I’m your man,” laughed Walter, as he seized 
the kettle and at once went to the bubbling little 


‘Page 30 


‘C he Pennant 


spring on the border of the woods. As soon as he 
returned he placed the kettle over the fire, resting 
it upon the flat stones. In a moment Dan dropped 
his potatoes into the water and then turned to his 
fish. 

“ They’re great, Dan ! ” exclaimed Walter, as he 
saw his companion take the white-meated fish 
which had been cleaned and skinned and, after he 
had carefully placed them on the broiler, hold them 
over the blazing fire. “ Strange, isn’t it ? ” con- 
tinued Walter. “ Less than an hour ago those 
perch were swimming around in Six Town Pond 
as lively as crickets. Three hours afterward they 
are an important part of you and me. If I get 
a home run in the game to-morrow, probably that 
big perch that took my hook a few minutes ago will 
be what provided the force. One minute, a live 
fish chasing another smaller fish and trying to swal- 
low it, and the next just changed into the force 
and nerve and muscle that knocks out a clean home 
run. Ever think about that, Dan?” 

“ Can’t say that I have. You’d do better to drop 
poetry and set the table.” 

“ You never get your feet off the earth, do you, 
Dan?” laughed Walter, as he turned to do as he 
was bidden. 

“ I’ve never seen a live man yet that could do 
that or lift himself by the straps of the boots he was 
wearing. Hurry up with that table ! ” 

Walter took the table, which had been folded 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 31 


and stored in the skiff, and placed it in the shade of 
a great tree near the fireplace. Two small camp- 
chairs were next taken from the boat and then the 
basket, in which a small tablecloth, some napkins, 
and some knives and forks had been arranged, was 
brought, and its contents spread upon the little table. 

“Hurry up, Walter !” called Dan laughingly, as 
he faced his friend. “ Dinner is almost ready. I 
get a cloud of smoke in my eyes every little while 
when the wind veers. That drives me away from 
the fire, so I lose time. You might get that basket 
under the stern seat — no, I left it in the buggy. It’s 
the one that has the boiled eggs, the bread, pie, 
cake, and etceteras in it. Bring it on if you want 
to rush things a bit.” 

“ I’ll have it here in a minute ! ” called Walter, as 
he ran swiftly toward the shaded place where the 
buggy had been left. Near the buggy was old 
Prince, the horse which the boys had driven that 
morning. Walter could see the black flanks of 
the old horse among the trees and as he came 
nearer he was startled when Prince suddenly snorted 
as if he were in great fear and began to pull upon 
the strap as if he were doing his utmost to get away. 

“ Whoa, old fellow ! ” called Walter. “ What’s 

the trouble now ? The flies biting you ? Great ” 

he began as he came nearer the snorting animal and 
then abruptly stopped at the startling sight he saw. 
Crawling lazily over the grass toward the pond, 
which was only a few yards distant, Walter beheld 


Page 32 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


a snake larger than any he had ever seen out of 
captivity. As he stopped the great snake 'also 
stopped, and lifting its head gazed at the intruder, 
darting its forked tongue as if it were minded to 
drive its enemy from the place. 

“ Hi, Dan ! Come over here ! Come as fast as 
you can run ! Bring the axe! ” called Walter in his 
excitement. “ Come on ! Come on ! ” 

Alarmed by the sharp call, Dan instantly dropped 
the cooking utensils in his hands and seizing the 
axe ran swiftly toward the spot where his friend 
was standing. Not a word did he speak until he 
stood by Walter’s side and then in a whisper he 
asked, “ What’s wrong ? ” 

“ The biggest snake you ever saw has just 
crawled into the weeds down there on the shore ! ” 
said Walter excitedly, pointing as he spoke to 
the huge bed of reeds near the water. “ It was as 
big around as an oar! It wasn’t a foot less than 
seven feet long! Old Prince was scared out of 
his ” 

Dan waited to hear no more, but grasping his 
axe, he ran swiftly toward the rushes where Walter 
had said the great reptile had crawled. 

“Come back here, Dan!” called Walter, shout- 
ing to his friend. “ You’ll get bitten or squeezed ! 
That thing is a terror ! Come back here ! ” 

But Dan did not heed the call of his excited com- 
panion. Parting the tall rushes, he stepped boldly 
into the midst of them and soon was concealed from 



“ Walter beheld a snake” 


‘Page 32 

























4 




c Zj he Pennant 


*Pag e 33 


Walter’s sight. Hesitating a moment, the latter 
looked about him for a weapon of some kind, and 
as none could be seen he hastily seized the whip in 
the buggy and then ran swiftly to the aid of his 
friend, whose danger he was convinced was great. 
Cautiously approaching the rushes, he called, 
“ Where are you, Dan ? I’m here to help ! Where 
are you?” 

No reply came from the marsh, though Walter 
was convinced that he could trace his friend’s way 
by the movements of the tall rushes. Waiting a 
moment anxiously, he called again : “ Where are you, 
Dan? Don’t take any chances! Come back here 
and let the snake do as he pleases ! Come on, Dan ! 
Come on ! ” 

“ Go back and look after the dinner ! ” came 
a low call from the midst of the weeds. 

“ I’m not going to leave you here alone ! ” retorted 
Walter. 

“If you want anything to eat go back and look 
after the fire. I don’t want any help.” 

“ Have you seen anything of the snake ? ” 

No reply was made to the query and after delay- 
ing a brief time Walter walked slowly back to the 
place where the fire was burning. He repeatedly 
assured himself that he was not “nervous,” but 
several times he was startled and stopped abruptly 
until he was able to decide whether a long dead 
branch in his pathway was really what it appeared 
to be. However, without any serious mishap he 
c 


‘Page 34 


he ‘Pennant 


arrived at the place he was seeking and instantly 
discovered that Dan’s warning was most timely, for 
the fire had burned low and the frying-pan had 
tipped so that one of the perch had fallen into the 
ashes. Quickly righting the pan, he at once placed 
fresh wood upon the fire and soon had everything 
restored to its proper place. As he turned to look 
toward the marsh he saw his friend approaching, 
and it was manifest that he had not secured the 
snake. 

“ What’s the trouble, Dan ? Where’s the snake ? ” 
inquired Walter. 

“ Got away,” answered his friend. 

“ Did you see it ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ How big is it?” 

“ Long as a fence rail.” 

“ I told you it was. Did you ever see as big a one 
before?” 

“ No.” 

“ Did it turn on you?” 

“ I thought it was going to, but it probably 
thought better of it, for it made for the deep water 
and I lost sight of it.” 

“What kind of a snake was it?” 

“ Just a plain water-snake, that’s all.” 

“ I shouldn’t want it to bite me. I don’t like 
snakes anyway. The sight of one makes my flesh 
creep.” 

“ That’s all foolishness. A snake is a mighty 


'‘Che ‘Pennant 


Page 35 


pretty thing. I’ve taken little striped snakes up in 
my hands a good many times and examined them. 
Their marking is great, Walter ! ” 

“ I’m willing to take your word for it ! ” 

“ You don’t have to, for you can see for your- 
self. This big fellow might put up a good fight 
if he was cornered, but I don’t believe he would 
touch anyone if he was left alone.” 

“ He scared old Prince all right.” 

“ Well, he was something of a snake, but he 
wouldn’t touch a live animal unless it was a frog 
or a squirrel.” 

“ Eats dead fish, doesn’t he ? ” 

“Yes; you don’t eat live ones, do you?” 

“ Not if I can help it. There, I’m glad he’s gone. 
Think there are any more like him around here ? ” 
“ Some snakes go in pairs.” 

“Do they?” inquired Walter, glancing anxiously 
about him as he spoke, an action that brought a 
trace of a smile to Dan’s face. “ I’m not afraid,” 
said Walter hastily, as he noticed the expression 
on his friend’s face. “ I just don’t like their com- 
pany, that’s all. Are there many around here ? ” 

“ I guess if you should walk up the beach to 
those flat rocks yonder you’d find plenty of them.” 
“Any here?” 

“ I guess not. Most too cool here. Snakes like 
warm spots.” 

“ Maybe the fire will draw them, then.” 

“ You needn’t be afraid.” 


‘Page 36 


‘U'he Pennant 


“ I’m not ‘ afraid,’ I tell you. I just don’t like 
the crawling things ! ” 

“ Well, never mind. We’ll set the table now. I 
guess everything is ready.” 

Quickly the two boys placed their dinner on the 
little table. The smoking potatoes, the fish browned 
and hot, the various tempting viands which Grand- 
mother Sprague had provided made a great display, 
and for a time conversation ceased, as both boys did 
full justice to the repast. Overhead the spreading 
branches of the huge chestnut trees provided ample 
shade. Before them were the waters of the pond 
shining and shimmering under the rays of the 
noontide heat. On the opposite shore men busy in 
the fields could be seen and over all was the glory 
of the perfect summer day. 

“ This is the way to live, Dan!” said Walter at 
last. “ Why don’t more people try it ? ” 

“ Probably they are too busy trying to get an 
income.” 

“ That’s all right. My father says it’s a great 
thing for a man to learn to live within his income. 
He’s trying to teach me how to keep inside of my 
allowance.” 

“ I suppose that’s so,” said Dan a little dryly, 
“ but to me it has always seemed as if there was 
something better than that.” 

“ Better than living inside of one’s income?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ What’s that?” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 37 


“ Learning how to live without an income.” 

“ I hadn’t thought of that,” laughed Walter. “ I 
suppose it’s true.” 

“ It is, when you are wanting to do what I’m go- 
ing to try.” 

“ You mean working your way through school 
and college ? ” 

“ That’s just what I mean.” 

"A good many have done it,” suggested Walter 
lightly. 

“ Yes, I hear that is so, but I’ve heard too that 
a great many people die every year. I don’t know 
that that fact makes dying any easier for the 
man when his own time comes.” 

“ What’s the trouble, Dan ? Did the big snake 
scare you ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ What is it then?” 

“ I’m thinking of that home run you’re going 
to make to-morrow.” 

“ I’ll do my best.” 

“ We’ll need it.” 

“ Have they a good nine ? ” 

“ I’ll tell you more about that after the game.” 

“ You’re the king-pin, Dan. If you have a good 
head on your shoulders ” 

“ Yes; I’ve noticed that it’s the man with a head 
that gets ahead.” ! 

“ You’ll do,” laughed Walter, leaping to his feet 
as he spoke. “ What’s next ? ” 


‘Page 38 


^he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER IV 

THE REWARD OF PATIENCE 

T HE ‘ next thing ’ is to wash these dishes and 
put them back in the baskets where they 
belong.” 

“ What’s the use ? ” drawled Walter lazily. 

“ Some day we’ll want to use them again.” 

“Use them, then; I don’t object.” 

“ But you’ll want them clean.” 

“ They were clean enough just now, weren’t they? 
You put some potato on the plate on which I’d 
been eating potato and fish, didn’t you? I didn’t 
find any fault, did I?” 

“ I didn’t notice any very vociferous complaint.” 
“Of course you didn’t. Well, if a plate is clean 
enough to keep on eating from, I don’t see any 
use in bothering with it.” 

“ You mean that dishes that are clean enough 
to stop eating on are clean enough to begin with 
again?” laughed Dan. 

“ You’ve struck the nail on the head the first 
time.” 

“ That may do in New York. It won’t do here.” 
“ It’s just a fad, that’s all,” asserted Walter. 
“ It’s a fashion and nothing more.” 


^Uhe Pennant 


*Page 39 


“ You can explain it to your Grandmother 
Sprague when we go home, but I don’t care to be 
there when she expresses her opinion, that is, if I 
happen to be the one who has not done his w r ork 
as he ought to.” 

“ She has some rather strong ideas on that sub- 
ject,” admitted Walter demurely. “ I’m afraid she’s 
a little prejudiced. She has the boards on the 
kitchen floor scoured with soap and water and sand 
till they fairly glisten. I said to her the other 
day : ‘ Grandmother, don’t you really think there are 
some things in life that are more important than 
just keeping clean a few old pine boards in the floor 
of your kitchen ? ’ ” 

“ What did she say ? ” inquired Dan, smiling as 
he spoke. “ Your grandmother has the reputation 
of being one of the best housekeepers in the county.” 

“ She didn’t say much ; but, somehow, I didn’t 
stay long to show her how mistaken she was. She 
just emptied a bucket of water on the floor where 
I was standing and I fled.” 

“ You didn’t make any mistake in that. Now 
then, I’ll have to wash these dishes, and it’s time I 
began,” said Dan, as he leaped to his feet and pre- 
pared for his task. 

“ Oh, well, if you are set upon it, I suppose I’ll 
have to help; but honestly, Dan, I don’t see any 
reason in it.” 

“ You don’t have to help. You pay me for my 
time, you know.” 


‘Page 40 


‘Uhe Pennant 


“ That’s all right. I’m going to do my share.” 

“ Come on then, if you mean it.” 

The dishes speedily were carried to the spring 
and as both boys worked rapidly the disagreeable 
duty was quickly completed. 

“ There! Now if you feel better we can try the 
fishing again,” said Walter, as he and his friend 
returned to the shaded place where the table had 
been set. 

“ I’m afraid there isn’t much use in trolling 
now,” said Dan, as he looked over the still and 
shining waters of the pond. 

“ Why not?” 

“ It’s too warm and still. The pickerel make for 
the cooler places when the sun is as warm as it is 
now.” 

“ Then we can go to those ‘ cooler places ’ if that 
is where the fish go, can’t we? A fellow ought to 
use his head when he’s fishing, just the same as he 
does when he’s playing ball.” 

“ It isn’t his head — it’s his oars,” explained Dan. 
“ We simply can’t get into the places where the 
pickerel hide. Besides, they won’t bite much till 
the water is cooler.” 

“ I can’t understand that any more than I can 
about the dishes we just washed. A pickerel is 
always hungry, isn’t he? Well, if he is always 
hungry, then he’ll eat always, won’t he ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ Why won’t he?” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


1 ‘PagcjH 

“ I guess you’ll have to go to him to get your 
information.” 

“ That’s what I want to do.” 

“ All right. We’ll try the trolling again if you 
like.” 

“ Pretty soon,” replied Walter, whose desire for 
an argument was keener than his wish to be out 
on the water under the burning sun. “ Just now I’m 
interested in that flicker. What does he make all 
that noise for?” 

“ He’s after the worms in that dead tree where 
he’s hammering.” 

“ A bird is a cruel animal.” 

“ How’s that?” 

“ Why, he’ll smash and hammer a poor little worm 
or a bug he catches till there isn’t a spark of life 
left. Oh, I don’t believe in harming the birds,” 
Walter hastily added as he saw a look of surprise 
on Dan’s face. “ It isn’t that. Only when I hear 
so much about saving the birds, I can’t help thinking 
of the poor little grubs and bugs his birdship doesn’t 
have any mercy for. See? Why don’t we try to 
save the bugs and worms as well as the birds ? ” 

“If you lived on a farm you’d know the reason 
why.” 

“What is it?” 

“ They kill the crops.” 

“ So we kill them because they affect our pockets. 
Is that it?” 

“ I guess it is.” 


* Page 42 


*€ he ‘Pennant 


“ Then it isn’t wrong to kill things that take what 
we want. It’s only wrong to kill what doesn’t inter- 
fere with our plans.” 

“ Have it your own way,” said Dan, somewhat 
puzzled by his friend’s apparent seriousness. “ My 
conscience doesn’t trouble me when I kill the grass- 
hoppers and ” 

“And yet the grasshopper is a wonderful crea- 
ture. He makes his music with his hind legs.” 

“Who told you that?” sniffed Dan scornfully. 

“ Everybody knows it — unless he lives in the 
country.” 

“ I guess that is the kind of talk you hear on 
Broadway.” 

“ It’s true, no matter where you hear it.” 

“ You say it is ; that’s why you think it’s so.” 

“ No, sir. I say it because it is true, Dan. What 
does a squirrel do in the winter? Does he go to 
sleep the way the bears do, or does he ” 

“ I guess he does,” broke in Dan. “ You can ask 
more questions than a four-year-old boy.” 

“ But you don’t answer me. If I lived all the 
year where you do I’d find out some of these 
things.” 

“ That’s all right. It’s a good way.” 

“Of course it is.” 

“ Who printed the first newspaper in New 
York?” 

“ I don’t know. Do you ? ” 

“ I do. It was William Bradford. He estab- 


tf 2T he ‘Pennant 


Page 43 


lished the first printing-press in New York in 1693. 
There’s a tablet to his memory at the Cotton 
Exchange. Who was the mayor of New York 
when the present City Hall was built?” 

“ I give it up. Can you tell ? ” 

“ Yes, sir. DeWitt Clinton. Where can one 
find statues of Franklin and Greeley in New York 
City?” 

“ I know that — Printing House Square,” laughed 
Walter. 

“ Good. What is Franklin holding in his hand? ” 

“ I give it up. What is it ? ” 

“ A copy of his first newspaper — ‘ The Pennsyl- 
vanian/ Where is the Peter Cooper pear tree ? ” 

“ Let’s go out on the pond and try the pickerel.” 

“ All right ; only the next time you suggest that 
I ought to know all about the habits of the squirrels 
and the bugs, I’m going to ask you about Minetta 
Creek ” 

“ What’s that?” 

“ That is the name of the little creek in Green- 
wich village ” 

“ You know a lot, Dan. I guess you’ve got 
me all right. I won’t say anything more about a 
fellow finding out what is going on where he lives 
until I learn a little more about my own town. 
Where did you find all this out — I mean the things 
you’re telling me?” 

“ I read about them, same as you read about 
grasshoppers.” 


* Page 44 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Come on,” said Walter, rising as he spoke. 
“ Look out for snakes, Dan.” 

The great snake was not seen as the two boys 
once more sought their boat and in a brief time 
resumed their trolling. Three hours passed and 
Walter seldom had a strike. “ You’re right, Dan,” 
he said at last ; “ there isn’t a hungry pickerel in the 
pond.” 

“ Too hot,” remarked Dan quietly. 

“ Yes, I know that’s what you said. Perhaps we’d 
better quit. We’ve a good seven miles to go — 
back to my grandfather’s.” 

“ This is the best time in the day for fishing.” 

“ You have your milking to do. I don’t want 
to keep you from that.” 

“ My brother will look after the chores to-night. 
You’ve paid for this day and it belongs to you if 
you want it.” 

“ All right,” laughed Walter. “ You row along 
the edge of those weeds yonder and by the time we 
get back to the place where Prince is I’m sure I’ll 
have had enough.” 

“ Just as you say,” said Dan, as he rowed the 
skiff toward the long stretch of weeds to which his 
companion had pointed. “ Now look sharp,” he 
added as they drew near the reeds. “ You’ve got 
the right time and you’ve got your pickerel ! ” he 
added sharply as there came a savage tug on Wal- 
ter’s line. “ It’s a beauty ! ” he shouted as a huge 
fish leaped from the water a hundred feet in the 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 45 


rear of the boat. “ Give him your line ! Let him 
have the bait ! Don’t yank it out of his mouth ! ” 

Walter did not respond as he did his utmost to 
follow his friend’s instructions. “ Now ! ” shouted 
Dan, “ give him a quick, sharp, hard yank ! That’s 
right. You’ve hooked him! Now look out that 
he doesn’t get any slack! Reel in slowly! If he 
tries to run let him have line, only don’t take your 
thumb off the reel ! ” 

The tip of Walter’s rod was suddenly drawn 
under the water and the boy in his excitement 
started to rise from his seat. “ Sit down ! ” ordered 
Dan. “ Don’t let him drag your rod under, what- 
ever you do ! That’s no way to fish ! Keep a good 
tight line and your rod out of the water ! ” 

“Who’s doing this?” inquired Walter testily. 

“ I’m trying to have you do it,” retorted Dan. 

“Well, let me do it then! I’m going to save 
or lose this pickerel all by myself ! You look after 
your oars ” 

“ Good ! ” broke in Dan good-naturedly. “ Now 
you’re talking like a fisherman. I’ll keep the skiff 
broadside on and you can do the rest.” 

Silence followed and the contest continued. Ex- 
cited as Walter was, he nevertheless was mindful 
of his every act. Again and again he reeled the 
huge fish near the boat, only to have the pickerel, 
which was fighting for its life, dart swiftly away. 
The reel “ sang,” but Walter, mindful now of the 
care and skill required, did not for a moment relax 


‘ Page 46 


he ‘Pennant 


his vigilance. Steadily and cautiously he reeled 
his victim back toward the boat, until at last the 
huge pickerel was plainly to be seen. 

“ It’s a monster ! ” exclaimed Walter excitedly, 
as he obtained his first view of the great fish. It’s 
the biggest pickerel I ever saw.” 

“ Tire him out,” said Dan quietly. “ It’s your 
only chance.” 

Once more the fish, as it saw the occupants of the 
skiff, darted swiftly away, but Walter was wiser 
now, as well as more careful, and giving his victim 
a free line he did not begin to reel again until the 
pull ceased upon his line. His excitement redoubled, 
but Dan smiled approvingly as he marked his 
friend's caution. Three times more the desperate 
pickerel darted away, but the run was shorter each 
time and there was less resistance each successive 
time that the young fisherman reeled in his victim. 

“ Bring him alongside now,” directed Dan. “ Be 
careful! If he touches the boat with his tail he’ll 
get a purchase and break away. There! That’s 
right ! I’ll have to use a gaff on him, the net is too 
small. Good ! That’s exactly where I want him ! ” 

Taking his gaff, Dan suddenly thrust it under 
the pickerel and then with one quick, strong pull 
brought the great fish into the skiff. Despite the 
floppings and flounderings of the safely landed fish, 
Dan gave it one hard blow with a short hickory 
club and its struggles were ended. 

“ That’s what I always do,” he explained. “ I 


^ he ‘Pennant 


Page 47 


don’t want to keep a fish in misery ; and, besides, it’s 
better eating if killed quickly.” 

“ Dan ! Dan ! Look there ! ” abruptly exclaimed 
Walter in a low voice, and as his companion looked 
up, instantly he saw what had aroused the attention 
of his companion. Not more than five yards away, 
and swimming near the border of the rushes, was 
the huge snake which Walter had seen a few 
hours previous to this time. 


‘ Page 48 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER V 

PREPARATION 

G ET it, Dan ! ” shouted Walter. “ Use your 
oar! Hit it!” 

The young oarsman obediently swung the skiff 
about and started swiftly in pursuit of the reptile, 
but before the weeds were gained the snake dis- 
appeared and a further search failed to reveal its 
presence. 

“ Too bad, Walter,” said Dan lightly. “ What 
did you want of it ? ” 

“ Why, I’d have the skin tanned or stuffed and 
hang it on the wall of my room in school.” 

“ What for?” 

“ ‘ What for ? 9 For an ornament.” 

“ Do the boys in the Tait School think snakes 
are ornamental ? ” 

“ Well, it would be interesting anyway. But it’s 
gone now and there’s no use in talking about it any 
more. You weren’t quick enough, Dan.” 

“ No, I wasn’t quick enough, that’s a fact. A 
fellow would have to be about as lively as a flash of 
lightning to catch one of those fellows on the water.” 
“ Did you ever see as big a one as that was ? ” 

“ Never.” 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 49 


“ Sure it was a water-snake, Dan ? ” 

“ Yes. I’ve seen the time early in the month 
when a fellow walking along the shore of Six Town 
Pond would stir up hundreds of these fellows — 
little chaps a good many of them. The last time 
I was here — and that is more than a year ago — I 
saw a lively fight between a water-snake and a 
brown thrush.” 

“ Which won ? What were they fighting about ? ” 
“ I don’t know, though I suspect that the snake 
had been robbing the thrush’s nest. Probably had 
stolen the eggs or had swallowed the young ones. 
The old bird was screaming and flying at the snake’s 
eyes and head, while his snakeship was doing his 
best to get back to the water. He’d crawl a few 
feet as lively as he could go and then he’d have 
to stop and defend himself when the thrush would 
get in some fine work. It was a lively tilt, let me 
tell you.” 

“ Did the snake get away ? ” 

“Yes; though I’m sure he had a headache.” 

“ We’ll come back and get this fellow ! ” said 
Walter eagerly. “ Why can’t we come to- 
morrow ? ” 

“ Because we’re both to play ball.” 

“ So we are,” laughed Walter. “ That’s the 
first time I ever forgot about a ball game, but I 
certainly would like to have that skin. Dan, shall 
we try for any more pickerel ? ” 

“ That’s for you to say.” 

D 


•Page 50 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Walter hesitated a moment before he said : “ I’m 
sure I could get some more. It’s just the right time 
of day, and now that I’ve learned just how to 

land the big fellows You needn’t laugh/’ he 

broke in abruptly as a trace of a smile appeared on 
Dan’s face. “ Didn’t I play this last pickerel I 
caught all right? It didn’t get away anyhow.” 

“ No, it didn’t because it couldn’t.” 

“ Why did you keep telling me not to give it 
any slack then? If there wasn’t any danger of 
losing it what difference did it make what I did ? ” 

“ I couldn’t see then how well it was hooked.” 

“ It was hooked all right.” 

“ It certainly was. A yoke of oxen might have 
hauled it ashore and there wouldn’t have been a 
chance for the pickerel.” 

“ Well, it’s a beauty anyway,” said Walter proudly 
as he glanced down at the great fish on the bottom 
of the skiff. “ What will it weigh, Dan?” 

“ It 4 will ’ weigh nine or ten pounds and get 
heavier every time you tell how you caught it,” 
replied Dan with a smile. 

“ No. Tell me honestly what you think it weighs 
now.” 

“ It may tip the scales at eight pounds.” 

“ More than that ! ” asserted Walter confidently. 
“ Dan, I’d like to stay and get two or three more 
like this fellow, but I guess we’d better start for 
home. It’ll be dark before we get there, even if 
we start right away.” 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 51 


“ All right,” assented Dan promptly, as he in- 
stantly began to row toward the landing-place. 

“ We’ll come back for the snake and some more 
of those big pickerel some other time.” 

“ They’ll keep,” said Dan shortly. 

Old Prince, with a whinny, greeted the return of 
the boys. In a brief time the skiff was placed in 
the little boat-house on the shore, the rods and 
various belongings were put into the bqggy, and last 
of all the big pickerel was wrapped in a bag and 
covered with a cloth under the seat. 

“ Some people count the fish they catch ; others 
weigh them,” said Walter with a laugh as the 
homeward journey was begun. 

“ Yes, I guess that’s so,” assented Dan. “ Some- 
times there seems to be a great deal of difficulty 
with the scales though.” 

“ There won’t be this time. Eight pounds, Dan. 
Don’t forget that. Be sure you don’t.” 

“ I’m not likely to forget it — when you are any- 
where near.” 

“ Never mind. I’ll take all the responsibility. 
Tell me about the game to-morrow.” 

“ I can tell you better after to-morrow. I can’t 
weigh fish before I have anything to weigh them 
with and I can’t tell you about a game before it’s 
played.” 

“You’re a great chap, Dan!” laughed Walter. 
“ I’m afraid you haven’t any imagination.” 

“ What’s that?” 


"Page 52 


he ‘Pennant 


“ Oh, it’s the ability to see things — a little dif- 
ferent from what they really are.” 

“ I see. I guess old Si Slater, the harness-maker, 
must have more imagination, as you call it, than any 
other man in ” 

“ Why, what makes you think he has ? ” 

“ He never has been known to tell anything as it 
is. He sees things a little different from what they 
really are. You say that’s ‘ imagination.’ Perhaps 
it is, but we poor chaps up here in the country don’t 
call it by that name exactly.” 

“ What do you call it ? ” inquired Walter laugh- 
ingly. 

“ We just say Si Slater is the biggest liar in seven 
counties.” 

“ Is Si as fat as ever ? I haven’t seen him since 
I came.” 

“ Fatter. You’ll see him to-morrow — and hear 
him too.” 

“ What do you mean ? ” 

“ What I say.” 

“ Is Si a ‘rooter’?” 

“ I guess so, though I’m sure I don’t know what 
a ‘ rooter ’ is.” 

“ Why, a ‘ rooter ’ is a wild ‘ fan.’ ” 

“ Glad to hear it,” said Dan dryly. “ While 
you are about it you might explain what a ‘ wild 
fan’ is.” 

“ I didn’t say a 4 wild fan.’ I said a 4 fan ’ that 
is wild. A fan is a baseball enthusiast — one that 


he ‘Pennant 


Page 53 


takes in all the games. A ‘ rooter ’ is one that yells 
for his team ” 

“ I see. I guess you can rely on Si’s yelling all 
right, and on his attendance too. You’ll know it if 
he is there.” 

“ Know anything about the other nine, Dan ? ” 

“ Nothing except that they haven’t lost a game 
this summer.” 

“ How many have they played ? ” 

“ Five.” 

“You going to pitch?” 

“ At the start. If they drive me out of the box 
we’ll have to call on you or someone else.” 

“ I’ll keep. I regularly play short, but I can 
pitch a little. If I could only curve a baseball the 
way I can a tennis ball I’d fool the batter every 
time. What does Moulton say about your work?” 

“ He doesn’t say much.” 

“ Oh, well, I understand he’s a quiet fellow any- 
way.” 

“ He is.” 

“ Has he found much fault with your work ? ” 

“ No. He doesn’t say much about it, as I told 
you.” 

“ Probably he thinks you are doing all right or 
he would say so,” said Walter, a little condescending 
in his manner. “ You go ahead and try it to- 
morrow and if you fall down I’ll see what I can do.” 

It was late when the boys arrived at the place 
they were seeking and their coming was announced 


‘Page 54 


c Uhe Pennant 


by Walter’s shouts. When his grandfather came 
out of the house to greet the young fishermen the 
huge pickerel was displayed and the quiet com- 
ments of his grandfather were highly pleasing to 
the elated Walter. As he turned to say good night 
to his companion he again referred to the game of 
the morrow. “ Don’t you be anxious, Dan. You 
start in with your pitching and just remember that 
if the Benson nine finds your curves you can rely 
on me to help you out.” 

“ That’s all right, Walter,” replied Dan quietly. 

“ The game is at three ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ I’ll be over on time.” 

“ Good night.” 

“ Good night, Dan,” responded Walter as he 
entered the house. 

Long before the time of the game on the follow- 
ing day Walter was on the field. Dressed in the 
uniform of his school nine, he was aware of the 
contrast between his neat, well-fitting suit and the 
quaint uniforms of the players who were on the 
ground. A smile of satisfaction and a slight deepen- 
ing of his condescending manner were perhaps not 
unnatural in view of the appearance of the two 
nines. On each there were two or three who 
had no uniforms at all. 

“ Goin’ to play with our nine ? ” 

Walter turned as the question was asked, and 


c&he ‘Pennant 


'Page 55 


found himself face to face with Si Slater, the vil- 
lage harness-maker. Si’s round face was glowing 
with interest and his fat body was perspiring in 
spite of his continued fanning with his straw hat of 
broad brim. 

“ Yes, I thought I would help the fellows out,” 
replied Walter, with a laugh. 

“ All right. Ye’ll have t’ go some t’ keep up with 
Dan an’ Tom Richards. They’re the best ball 
players in the whole county.” 

“ Are they?” 

“ You’re right they be. I’ve seen Dan knock a 
ball ’most forty rod.” 

“ I hope he’ll do it this afternoon.” 

“ He will if he gets half a chance. I guess maybe 
you’ve played ball before, from th’ looks o’ those 
clothes ye’re wearin’.” 

“ Yes. I am on the school nine.” 

“Ye don’t say! Well, do your prettiest! We 
don’t want them Benson chaps to go home crowin’ 
over us.” 

“ We’ll try not to let them do that.” 

“ Hi ! Look at that, will ye ! ” shouted the 
harness-maker as he slapped his hands on his fat 
thighs and pointed to a ball which Dan, who was 
batting flies for his fielders, had sent far over the 
heads of the scattered field. “ I’ve wondered a 
heap o’ times why the New Yorks didn’t send up 
here for Dan. I guess he could give ’em all some 
points on the game ! ” 


‘ Page 56 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Have you ever seen the New Yorks play ? ” 

“ No; I can’t say ’t I have. I was talkin’ t’ Dan 
a spell ago an’ I suggested that he should send 
word for ’em t’ come up here and have a game. 
I guess they’d open their eyes when they see Tom 
and Dan.” 

“ What did Dan say ? ” inquired Walter quiz- 
zically. 

“ Nothin’. He isn’t much o’ a talker, Dan isn’t.” 

“ I shall be interested to-day in watching him.” 

“ Don’t ye watch him too much. Ye want t’ keep 
both eyes on yer own job. Hi ! Hi ! Hi ! ” roared 
the enthusiastic Si as Dan lifted another high fly. 
“ That’s a pretty one. That’s th’ ticket, Dan ! ” 
The harness-maker doubled his noisy applause and 
Walter turned to take his place as short-stop in the 
preliminary practice. He smiled as he saw that the 
diamond was laid out in an ordinary pasture. The 
lines had not been cut in the turf, and even the 
pitcher’s box was on the dry sward, indicated by 
chalk marks. As he looked about him he saw that 
the players were a brown and sturdy lot, but their 
somewhat awkward attempts to stop the ball 
brought once more a smile of condescension to his 
face. He laughed as he recalled Si Slater’s sugges- 
tion as to a game with the New Yorks, but in a 
brief time he was busied in his own practice. 



“ He was busied in his own practice ” 


“Page 56 
































































































































































'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 57 


CHAPTER VI 

THE GAME 

W HEN at last Walter and the Rodman nine 
came in from the field in order that the 
Benson players might have their share in the pre- 
liminary practice he laughed as he looked at the 
crowd that had assembled to watch the game. It 
was not much like the well-dressed assemblage that 
he knew was keenly watching every member of the 
nine when the Tait School played its great rival 
the Military Academy at Franklin. Automobiles 
then were regularly arranged back of the outfielders, 
the grandstand was gay with colors, and the cheers 
and songs, led by appointed leaders, broke in sharply 
on the tense silence that followed certain plays. 
Here, however, it was a motley crowd. Small boys 
were perched in the adjoining trees, awkward- 
appearing vehicles were standing here and there 
about the field, men with broad-brimmed straw hats 
and some with their trousers tucked inside of the 
tops of their high boots were eagerly watching the 
members of the two nines. If Walter was amused 
his feeling was not unkind, but the sight was so 
different from any he had ever seen before that 
perhaps his feeling was not unnatural. 


Page 58 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Moulton now stepped forward and summoned the 
rival captains. As Dan turned away from the brief 
interview he waved his hand as a signal for his 
players to take the field, when Walter and the 
other members of the Rodman nine ran to their 
various positions in the field. The ball at last was 
thrown to Dan, and as the umpire called “ play 
ball ” the game was about to begin. Dan was very 
deliberate as he took the ball, rolled it in the dust 
a moment, then stepped into the pitcher’s box and 
drew back his arm. 

“ Strike ! ” called Moulton, as the ball lodged in 
Tom Richard’s hands. 

“ That’s the way, Dan ! ” called Walter from his 
position of short-stop. 

Ignoring the encouragement of his friend Dan 
sent in a slow ball, at which the batter lunged 
heavily, but failed to hit. A laugh arose from the 
Rodman supporters at the ludicrous attempt of the 
batter. Before the latter had fully recovered, Dan 
sent a swift ball directly over the plate and Moulton 
called the third strike. 

“ That fellow’s out ! 99 Walter heard the harness- 
maker shout gleefully. 

“ You’re right, Si!” responded another Rod- 
man supporter. “ Better give that fellow a pine log 
for a bat!” 

“ Barn door’d be better ! ” roared Silas. “ They 
can’t touch Dan ! ” Walter turned to look at Dan, 
who now was facing the second member of the 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


‘Page 59 


opposing nine. The pitcher’s manner still was as 
quiet as if he was unaware of the noisy approval of 
his supporters. “ Keep it up, Dan,” said Walter 
in a low voice. 

Swinging his long arms, Dan for an instant turned 
his back to the batter, and then in a moment resum- 
ing his position he sent the ball in with all his 
strength. So sudden was his movement that the 
Benson player was unable to dodge the ball and 
was struck with its full force upon his left shoul- 
der. Howling with pain he clapped one hand upon 
the wounded spot and began to dance excitedly 
about the home plate. “ Ou-u-ch ! ” he cried. 
“ Jiminy ! that hurt ! ” 

“ Take your base ! ” ordered Moulton. 

“ Can’t ye give a feller a chance t’ git his breath? ” 
demanded the unfortunate batsman indignantly. 

“ Take your base,” said Moulton again in a low 
voice. 

Grumbling and still twisting and rubbing the 
wounded shoulder the runner slowly made his way 
to the first base. 

“ You’ve got them scared, Dan,” called Walter 
encouragingly. “ Keep it up ! ” Dan did not glance 
at his friend as he once more faced thelbatter. Sud- 
denly whirling about he threw the ball with terrific 
speed to the first-baseman, who touched the startled 
Benson player before the latter was fully aware of 
his peril. 

“ He’s out ! ” called Moulton sharply. 


‘Page 60 


e Uhe Pennant 


“He had his foot in the way! He kept me off 
the base ! ” angrily shouted the runner. 

The umpire did not even glance at the player as 
the angry protest was heard. “ Batter up ! ” he said 
quietly. 

“ But I’m tellin’ ye I ain’t out,” again called the 
disgruntled Benson player. “ He had his foot — ” 

“ You’re out ! ” interrupted Moulton quietly. 
Then, ignoring the player, who at last with many 
mutterings and shakings of his head slowly rejoined 
his comrades, he was again watching the pitcher. 

“ Strike one ! ” he called as Dan sent a slow ball 
over the plate. 

“ Ball one ! ” he added a moment later. 

“ Strike two ! ” was his next announcement. 

“ Foul ball ! ” came the verdict, as the batter sent 
the ball far back over the catcher’s head. 

“ You’re out ! ” Moulton quietly said as the next 
ball came in swiftly. 

“ ’Twasri’t over the plate!” protested the Ben- 
son player loudly, as he flung his bat in anger upon 
the ground. The Rodman nine, however, were now 
running in from the field, and as the umpire did 
not pay the slightest attention to the protests of 
the recent batsman he soon joined his fellows on 
the field. 

“ Great work, Dan ! ” exclaimed Walter, as, after 
selecting his bat, he stopped a moment beside his 
friend and patted him on the shoulder. “ You 
struck out two men and caught another off first.” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 61 


“ I’m sorry I hit him,” said Dan gently. 

“ It’s all in the game ! ” retorted Walter lightly. 
“ And now let’s see what we can do at the bat. I’m 
the second man up and you follow me, Dan.” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Better get your bat.” 

“ I’ll have it when my turn comes.” 

Tom Richards came first to bat and after hitting 
two fouls he sent a slow ball toward third base, 
which the fielder threw somewhat wildly and Tom 
was safe at first, to the delight of Silas, who noisily 
expressed his pleasure. 

“ I’m going to bunt, Dan,” said Walter in a low 
voice. “ I’ll sacrifice Tom to second or third if he 
can steal second.” 

“ Give him a chance and he’ll steal it all right.” 

“ Then I’ll make a sacrifice hit.” 

“ Better line it out, Walter,” suggested Dan as his 
friend advanced to the plate. Walter smiled, but 
did not respond as he confidently faced the pitcher 
of the opposing nine. He permitted the first ball 
to pass and a strike was promptly called by Moulton. 
Pretending to hit at the second ball his action 
slightly confused the catcher who dropped the ball 
as Tom sped safely to second. The next ball Walter 
tapped lightly, and as it rolled slowly toward the 
third-baseman the latter seized it and threw swiftly 
to first, Tom meanwhile gaining third base safely on 
the play. 

“Is that th’ best ye can do?” demanded the 


Page 62 


c & he ‘Pennant 


harness-maker as Walter turned away from first 
base. “ A baby could hit as far ’s you did.” 

“ That was a bunt,” said Walter flushing slightly 
as some of the spectators near Silas laughed. 

“ Yes, I see ’twas — a baby-bunter.” 

“ I made a sacrifice hit to put Tom on third.” 

“Oh, ye did, did ye? Well, I guess if Tom 
couldn’t run like a white-head all yer buntin’ 
wouldn’t ’a’ helped him. Hi! That’s th’ way t’ 
do things ! ” Silas shouted as Dan hit a ball that 
passed far over the head of the left-fielder. That’s 
th’ way t’ play ball! No city fellow could do that, 
Dannie, my boy! Go it! Go on! Run, ye little 
terror ! ” he added in his excitement as Dan turned 
second and sped on toward the third base, Tom 
meanwhile having leisurely crossed the home plate. 

The noisy plaudits of the assembly redoubled 
when the next player to face the Benson pitcher 
drove a liner above the head of the second-base- 
man and Dan ran home. There was, however, no 
concerted cheering, everyone acting upon his own 
impulse, while above the din steadily rose the sten- 
torian cries of Silas. “ I told ye our boys could 
play ball!” he roared. “We’ll beat ’em! We’ll 
send ’em home with their tail-feathers all pulled 
out! Hoein’ corn is th’ ticket for th’ Benson nine! 
Who-o-o-p ! Ho-e-e-e ! ” Walter smiled as he 
watched the excited spectators, in his mind con- 
trasting the motley crowd with the well-organized 
and united cheering and singing that rose from the 


‘Tjhe ‘Pennant 


Page 63 


“ bleachers ” of the Tait School when the school 
nine was battling on the diamond. The difference 
was so marked that, full of the thought of the lack 
of knowledge on the part of the assemblage, he 
smiled in an added air of condescension. Then he 
turned to one of the Rodman nine who was selecting 
a bat, preparatory to following the player whose 
turn to face the pitcher had been loudly proclaimed 
by the scorer. “ Take a good hold of your bat,” 
suggested Walter. “ Don’t take the end of the bat. 
Put your hands a little farther up and don’t try 
to ‘ kill ’ the ball. Just meet it with your bat. 
There’s force enough in the ball to send it as far as 
you want it to go if it just strikes the bat — that is, 
if you keep a good grip.” 

“ Is that the reason why you made such a long 
hit?” inquired the player as he left Walter and 
stepped to the plate in place of the batter, who 
had popped a little fly directly into the hands of the 
pitcher. 

“ That was a ‘ bunt ’ I made,” said Walter tartly. 

“ Not much of a bunt at that,” laughed the player. 

Half angry and yet amused, Walter watched the 
batter as he swung back, and then as the ball sped 
toward him, lunged forward and struck with all his 
might. 

“ Strike,” called the umpire promptly. 

“Of course it’s a strike,” said Walter as he seated 
himself beside Dan on the grass. “ Look at the 
great awkward clouter,” he added as the batter 


‘Page 64 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


again endeavored to strike with all his might. 
“What’s the fellow thinking of? Is he trying to 
drive it across the road yonder ? ” 

“ If Josh hits it once that’s about where it will 
go,” replied Dan quietly. 

“Yes; but he can’t hit it! ” retorted Walter tri- 
umphantly as the batter was called out on strikes 
after he had made another terrific attempt to hit 
the swiftly thrown ball. “ That’s three out,” he 
added as he and his companion arose. “ Dan, if 
you can keep up your good work those Benson 
fellows will be a sorry looking lot when they start 
for their native lair.” 

Dan, however, did not respond. Taking his posi- 
tion near the box, he began to throw the ball swiftly, 
first to one baseman and then to another. In a 
brief time the game was resumed and Dan’s labors 
were renewed. 

“ Ball one,” called the umpire after the first ball 
was delivered. 

“ Strike one ” and “ ball two ” and “ ball three ” 
followed in order, the batter apparently making no 
attempt to hit. 

“ Look out thar, Dan’l ! ” shouted Silas. “ Watch 
that fellow ; don’t ye let him fool ye ! ” 

“ Careful, Dan,” suggested Walter in a low voice. 

The batter, however, awkwardly struck the ball 
and a high foul resulted, the catcher succeeding, 
after a long run, in reaching and holding it. 

“ Hi ! That’s one out ! Put that down in yer 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 65 


book or ye may forget it ! ” roared Silas to the 
scorer. “ I guess those Benson fellows feel a little 
homesick! Don’t be too hard on ’em, Dan! Jes’ 
let ’em knock a ball t’ th’ city fellow ye’ve got for 
short-stop.” 

Walter’s cheeks flushed slightly as a laugh from 
the crowd greeted the suggestion of Silas, but he 
did not glance in the direction of the noisy harness- 
maker. 

The next batter “ fanned ” and Silas gave vent to 
his glee in renewed calls upon the Benson nine to 
“ shut up shop.” When the third man faced Dan 
and he too “ fanned ” out, even Walter began to 
share in the excitement that prevailed in the Rod- 
man contingent. 

“ Dan, you’ve struck out five of the six men that 
have faced you,” he said warmly as he walked beside 
his friend from the diamond. 

“ Luck, I guess,” said Dan dryly. 

“ Then it’s mighty good luck, that’s all I can 
say,” laughed Walter. 

“ The game is young yet,” Dan remarked quietly. 

“ So it is, but that doesn’t change the fact that 
in the first two innings the Bensons haven’t got but 
one man as far as first or that you have struck out 
five of the six who have faced you.” 

It was plain that Dan did not desire to talk and 
Walter too was soon silent, watching the batters. 
The first man up received his base on balls, the 
second batter made a hit and in the throw-in the 

E 


‘Page 66 


he ‘Pennant 


runner gained third, while the batter, by a burst of 
speed, succeeded in reaching second amid great ap- 
plause. 

“ Get up, Dan. Tell them to try a double steal ! ” 
suggested Walter eagerly. 

“ What’s that?” 

“ They can work a squeeze play if they want to.” 

“ A double steal ? ” 

“ No ; a squeeze play.” 

“ Why, it’s a ” Dan stopped abruptly as Silas 

at that moment came toward the two boys. 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 67 


CHAPTER VII 

A DISPUTE 

T ELL him to get off the field,^ said Walter in 
a low voice as he saw the stout harness-maker 
approaching. 

“Tell ye what, Dan,” roared Silas, “ye’re jest 
givin’ Benson somethin’ t’ think on. Our boys are 
jest knockin’ th’ cover right off th’ ball.” 

“ That doesn’t look like it,” responded Dan 
quietly as the Rodman batter hit a little fly to the 
short-stop, who turned quickly and caught one of 
the runners. It was the first occasion for a shout 
from the followers of the Benson nine and the 
applause was as noisy as it was prolonged. Two 
boys, one with a pitchfork in his hand, jumped 
down from their seat in a farm wagon which they 
had driven to a place not far from third base. 
“Hello, Si!” shouted one of the boys. “We’re 
goin’ t’ give you fellows a dose you’ll never forget.” 

“Be ye?” retorted Silas, his round face shining 
under the heat and his excitement. “ If ye keep 
up as ye’ve begun, it’ll look like the ‘ dose ’ was 
somethin’ prepared special for Benson. Ye haven’t 
got a man t’ first base yet.” 

“ Just wait, Si ” 


* Page 68 


he ‘Pennant 


“ I am a-waitin’,” interrupted the harness-maker. 
“ An’ so be you, I guess. Doesn’t seem t’ be doin’ 
ye much good, though.” 

“ You haven’t got but two runs.” 

“ That’s jes’ two more’n you’ve got.” 

“ Wait till this inning is over.” 

“ All right. I’m pretty good at waitin’. If you 
get a fellow as far as third I’ll give ye a new saddle.” 

“ The saddle is mine. I’ll stop for it on my way 
back t’ Benson.” 

“ An’ keep up th’ same waitin’ ye’ve been havin’, 
I guess.” 

“ Dan,” said Walter, as the two boys a few min- 
utes later together walked out to the field, “ the keen- 
ness of Si’s wit is almost too much for me. I don’t 
know but I’d better go out under the shade of that 
maple yonder and rest up.” 

The young pitcher, however, neither responded 
nor acted as if he saw anything unusual in the boast- 
ing of the harness-maker. In a brief time the game 
was resumed. 

Again the first batter to face Dan struck out. 
The second was hit with the ball, and a wild yell 
arose from the boy with a pitchfork, who was still 
standing near third base. “Now run, Zeb!” he 
shouted to the player, who was on first base ruefully 
rubbing his shoulder. “ Never mind a little thing 
like that! ’Twon’t hurt long! I’ll risk ye! If ye 
get around home I’ll let ye ride back t’ Benson 
on my new saddle.” 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 69 


Dan at that moment threw swiftly to his first- 
baseman, but the runner, who perhaps was think- 
ing more of his bruised shoulder than of the game, 
unfortunately was directly in the way of the ball 
and was again hit by the swiftly thrown sphere. 
Leaping to his feet with a yell, he shook his fist at 
the pitcher and shouted, “ Do that again an’ I’ll 
knock yer head off ! ” 

Instantly Dan threw the ball, which had been re- 
turned to him, and the baseman touched the excited 
runner, who had incautiously advanced a yard or 
more toward the pitcher. 

“ You’re out,” said Moulton quietly as the man 
was touched before he could regain the base. 

“ I hain’t neither ! ” roared the angry player as 
he advanced threateningly toward the umpire. 

Ignoring the protest, the umpire motioned to Dan 
to resume his work and the young pitcher instantly 
threw the ball. 

“ Strike ! ” called Moulton promptly. 

“ Look here, you ! ” said the angry player that had 
been declared out at first. He had approached the 
umpire and wrath fully was facing him. “ Do you 
know what I’d give you for two cents ? ” 

“ Get off the field,” said Moulton quietly, scarcely 
glancing at him. 

“ I won’t get off ! I tell ye I wa’n’t out at first. 
No, sir! That fellow stood right in my way.” 

“ I told you to get off the field,” said Moulton 
again in a low voice. 


‘Page 70 


’Tjhe ‘Pennant 


“ Mebbe you’ll put me off.” 

Lifting his hand in token that time was called, 
Moulton turned to the angered player and said, “ I 
don’t want to make any trouble. If you don’t know 
any better ” 

“ I know what I’m talkin’ about ! ” interrupted 
the Bensonite. “ I’m telling you I wa’n’t out on 
first.” 

“ I called you out.” 

“ I know ye did, but that doesn’t make it so, 
does it ? ” 

“ Yes. Now leave the field and take your seat.” 

The silence among the spectators was tense as 
the eyes of everyone were turned toward the two 
boys. “ That’s Jim Fuller,” said the farmer boy 
who, still holding his pitchfork in his hand, was 
standing beside Silas near third base. “ He’s the 
best wrestler in Benson. That umpire doesn’t want 
t’ rile him.” 

“ Don’t ye worry none ’bout th’ umpire,” retorted 
Silas promptly. “ I rather guess he c’n give an’ 
’count o’ himself if he has to.” 

Both became silent a moment as the protesting 
Benson player looking angrily at Moulton, finally 
said : “ You’re a robber, but I’m goin’ t’ let ye have 
your way this time. But if ye call me out again 
when I hain’t out — why, jes’ look out for yerself. 
That’s all I’ve got t’ say t’ ye.” As the Benson 
player turned to seek the place where the fellow- 
members of his nine were seated, a derisive shout 


he ‘Pennant 


Page 71 


from the Rodman supporters greeted him and he 
instantly turned and faced the noisy crowd as he 
shook his fist at them. The game was resumed 
as Moulton quietly tossed the ball to Dan. 

Whether it was due to the excitement or because 
he was not keenly watching the batter Walter did 
not know, but the third batter rapped a ball feebly 
toward the short-stop and as Walter seized it and 
threw it high above the head of the first-baseman 
the runner gained second and then started toward 
third. 

“ Get that ball ! Don’t let th’ feller get third ! 
I don’t want t’ give up a new saddle ! ” roared 
Silas. 

Walter heard the shouts of Silas above the wild 
yells of the dancing Bensonites, who were leaping 
and slapping their thighs and emitting wild shouts 
in their excitement. The first-baseman now had re- 
covered the ball and threw it fiercely to overtake the 
runner. In his eagerness Walter leaped and caught 
the ball, which had been thrown high, and as he 
came down he fell directly upon the runner and 
both lay sprawling upon the ground. Wriggling 
from the place, the Benson player crawled over the 
intervening yard and lay with his outstretched hand 
grasping the third base. “ Never touched me ! ” 
he shouted triumphantly. 

“ He’s out,” said Moulton quietly. The player, 
however, doggedly seated himself upon the base and 
refused to move. 


‘ Page 72 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


“ Get off the field ! ” shouted Walter angrily. 
“ Don’t you know how to play ball ? ” 

“You’re the whole thing, are you?” tauntingly 
called the Benson player, who was calmly seated. 
“ Maybe you’ve come up into the country to show 
us greenhorns how the game is played.” 

“ I know enough not to dispute the umpire,” re- 
torted Walter, his face flushing with anger. 

“ It’s your umpire. He isn’t giving us any show 
at all. You didn’t touch me with the ball and you 
know you didn’t ! ” 

“ I did touch you.” 

“ Go tell that to somebody that didn’t see it ! ” 
By this time the players of both nines were as- 
sembled near the third base, almost all of them 
shouting and gesticulating wildly. Dan remained in 
his position near the box, but he was the only 
member of the Rodman nine who had not run to 
join in the noisy altercation. 

Suddenly in the midst of the confusion the runner 
leaped to his feet and made a wild dash for the 
plate. As there was no one there to prevent him 
he easily crossed, and turning to the scorer shouted : 
“ That’s a run for us ! Don’t forget to set down 
that score for me. They can’t work that on us, not 
when we have our eyes open ! ” 

For a moment the confusion redoubled, the ex- 
cited spectators rushing upon the diamond and add- 
ing their noisy claims or protests to the shouts of 
the rival players. 





€ € 


* SVjo one else saw it , ' growled the captain 


‘ Page 73 




























































































































































































‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 73 


Moulton now quietly approached the assembly, 
and pushing his way into the midst of the throng 
he said, “ The runner was out.” 

“ No, he wasn’t either ! ” roared the captain of the 
Benson nine. “ Your man never touched him ! He 
wasn’t out ! ” 

“ Look here ! ” said Moulton advancing upon the 
speaker. “ You asked me to umpire this game, 
didn’t you ? ” 

“ I suppose so,” growled the captain, “ but we 
don’t intend to be robbed ” 

“ No one intends to rob you of anything,” broke 
in Moulton in a low voice. “ I saw the play. The 
man was out, that is all there is to it.” 

“ No one else saw it,” growled the captain. 

“ That may be true, but it doesn’t change matters. 
He was out. Now if you want to play ball go on 
with the game. If you’d rather spend your time 
wrangling like a lot of hoodlums, then that is your 
privilege. Either go on with the game and tell your 
men to play ball as gentlemen ought to play it or 
give it up and quit.” 

The angry captain glared at the umpire a mo- 
ment, then turned sulkily to his companions and 
said : “ Oh, well, come on, fellows ! I suppose we’ll 
have to give in, but we’ve got to play the umpire as 
well as the Rodman nine.” 

“ I guess it isn’t the umpire, it’s the pitcher that 
bothers those fellows,” said Walter to the third- 
baseman as the Benson players sulkily walked to 


‘Page 74 


cfjhe ‘Pennant 


their positions on the field. “ Dan is doing great 
work ! ” 

His words were overheard by the Benson player 
who had been the cause of the interruption. Stop- 
ping abruptly, he glared at Walter a moment and 
then said : “ I guess if the pitcher didn’t do any 
better than your short-stop does, it wouldn’t take 
long to wind up this game.” 

“ Don’t say anything, Walter,” said Dan as he 
came to the side of his friend and quietly took his 
arm. “ When a fellow is in the game he wants to 
work the muscles in his arms and legs and back, but 
there are some other muscles he doesn’t want to let 
get into the game at all.” 

“ You mean the muscles of his tongue?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ I never dispute the umpire anyway,” said Wal- 
ter, his face flushing slightly as he spoke. 

“ Don’t dispute the other nine. If there is any 
disputing to be done, let them do it all.” 

“ But they were ” 

“ Yes, I know,” broke in Dan. “ But it doesn’t 
pay. Besides, it’s part of the game to learn to con- 
trol one’s self.” 

“ Dan, you’re a wonder ! ” exclaimed Walter 
good-naturedly. “ If you’ll strike out the men in 
one-two-three order the next inning, I’ll promise 
not to say another word before the ninth inning.” 

“ I’ll do my best. You’re the first to bat.” 

“ Am I ? I’d forgotten that in the excitement.” 


Uhe Pennant 


‘Page 75 


Seizing his bat Walter advanced to the plate, and in 
his eagerness to redeem himself he struck at the 
first ball and sent a slowly rolling grounder toward 
second. The Benson second-baseman juggled the 
ball and Walter’s speed increased as he dashed to- 
ward first. He was aware of the shrill exhortations 
of Silas to “ hump himself,” whatever that might 
mean, and just as he gained the base the ball was 
caught by the baseman, who stood directly in front 
of the base. The first-baseman was the one who 
had made the trouble in the preceding inning, and 
a grin appeared on his face as he looked at Walter. 
For an instant Walter was intensely angry and 
was about to voice his protest. The sight of Dan, 
who had advanced to coach the runner, however, 
instantly sobered him and he merely said, “ A raw 
deal, Dan,” as he passed his friend. 

Dan scowled as he replied, “ I know it, Walter, 
but let it go.” 

As he rejoined his companions Walter did not 
refer to his recent experience and seated himself to 
watch the progress of the game. A base on balls 
and two hits netted two more runs and the sten- 
torian plaudits of the harness-maker were heard 
over all the field. The Benson supporters were 
strangely silent as their nine came in once more to 
bat. There was little shouting until the first player 
to face Dan received his base on balls. Then the 
hopes of Benson revived and a wild yell followed 
the player as he went to first base. 


Page 76 


“tj/je ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER VIII 

A RECORD 

S ILENCE speedily swept over the assembly as 
the next two batters both struck out. The 
third batter managed to send a slow roller toward 
first base, which speedily was taken by the base- 
man, who did not return to his base, but stood 
waiting on the line to touch the runner. The Ben- 
son player attempted to run into the waiting player, 
but the Rodman baseman stepped nimbly to one 
side, avoiding the onslaught, although he succeeded 
in touching the fleet-footed runner. 

When Walter joined Dan, as the Rodman nine 
came in from the field, his enthusiasm became still 
more marked. “ Dan,” he said, “ can’t these fel- 
lows bat any? Is that the reason for the ex- 
hibition they’re making of themselves or is it be- 
cause you are pitching such a game ? ” 

Dan smiled in his demure way, but did not directly 
reply to the question of his friend. Whatever may 
have been the trouble with the opposing nine the 
Rodman players at least found little difficulty in 
solving the curves of the pitcher that faced them. 
'As the game progressed the score of the Rodman 
team steadily increased, while in every inning at 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 77 


least two of the Benson players struck out and the 
sole hit they had made was a two-base hit in the 
seventh inning. The prowess of the batter, how- 
ever, had been without avail, for he had been left 
on second base, the two batters that followed him 
having both been struck out. When the ninth in- 
ning came the score stood fifteen to nothing in favor 
of Rodman. 

“Don’t lose your nerve now,” Walter said 
to Dan as they resumed their places in the field for 
the final inning. 

Dan laughed good-naturedly and by way of reply 
threw the ball swiftly to his friend at short, who 
in turn threw it to first. 

And yet Walter was suspicious of Dan, or at 
least fearful. What a record he had made, with 
only one hit and thirteen strike-outs in the eight 
innings. There was slight danger that the game 
would be lost, but if Dan should “go to pieces” 
now the marvelous record might be spoiled. Dan 
had not had much experience in pitching and it 
would not be unnatural if, under the strain, he 
should fail to maintain the steady success that thus 
far had so wonderfully marked his work in the 
game. The Benson supporters, as well as the Ben- 
son nine, had ceased most of their noisy protests, 
the failure of their batters to do anything with Dan’s 
pitching being too manifest to be explained or even 
defended. As for Walter’s part in the game, thus 
far he had not covered himself with glory; he had 


‘Page 78 


‘Che Pennant 


made two errors and not a hit had been placed 
to his credit. It is true he had caught two high 
twisting flies and had received vociferous applause 
from Silas and his companions for his successful 
attempts, but in the light of his condescending man- 
ner at the beginning of the game and the freedom 
with which he had lavishly given his instructions 
he felt that he stood before the assembled spectators 
in no very favorable light. Dan not only had pitched 
a wonderful game, but had not failed once in hit- 
ting the ball when he came to bat. Once he had 
sent the ball far over the head of the left-fielder — 
a hit which had brought him safely to third base, 
and also won tumultuous applause from Silas, who 
was the unrecognized leader of the cheering of the 
Rodman supporters. 

And now the final test for Dan had come. Would 
he be able to keep up his good work? Walter 
was nervous as Dan drew back to send in the 
first ball. 

Crack! The batter hit the ball with a force that 
sent it skipping between short-stop and third base, 
and the runner was safe at first, with the second 
safe hit the Benson players had secured. The fol- 
lowing batter was given his base on balls, and the 
runner at first slowly made his way to second. Two 
on bases and none out! Had Dan’s hand lost its 
cunning ? “ Steady, Dan,” called Walter, striving 

to speak encouragingly. The young pitcher, how- 
ever, did not even glance in the direction of his 


‘C ’ he ‘Pennant 


V age 79 


short-stop. With increased deliberation he drew 
back his arm and sent in a slow in-curve. 

Crack ! Dan’s heart sank an instant at the sound, 
and then he was aware that the ball was coming 
swiftly toward him. He put up his hands almost 
instinctively and, scarcely realizing what he was 
doing, caught the ball. Instantly swinging about he 
threw the ball to second and the player was out. 
“First! First! Throw it to first!” shouted Dan 
almost beside himself in his excitement. “ Throw 
it ! Throw it ! ” he yelled frantically, going through 
the motion of throwing the ball himself in his eager- 
ness. 

The second-baseman, at the sharp call, wheeled 
and sent the ball with all his might to the first-base- 
man, who had advanced several feet from the base 
and was standing with outstretched hands awaiting 
the coming of the sphere. The Benson runner who, 
at the sound of the bat when it struck the ball, had 
heedlessly started at full speed for second, now was 
frantically endeavoring to regain first base. As 
the baseman caught the ball the runner dove head- 
foremost, and the two came down in a heap about 
six feet from the coveted bag. 

Dan was dimly aware of a mighty shout that went 
up from the excited spectators, but he instantly 
ran to the place where the two players were lying. 
The Rodman player had been struck in the pit of 
the stomach by the head of the Benson player and 
was gasping for breath, his face being colorless. 


* Page 80 


‘‘C he ‘Pennant 


“ Work his feet, Dan,” called Walter as he him- 
self began to move the arms of the player much 
after the manner in which the handle of a pump is 
manipulated. There were expressions of anger 
to be seen on the faces of the people that instantly 
rushed upon the field, and for a moment there were 
signs of serious trouble. Fortunately the Rodman 
first-baseman quickly recovered and arose, though 
he stood for a brief time pale and trembling. With 
his recovery the threatening peril of a conflict was 
avoided and slowly the assembly began to depart 
from the field. 

“ Dan, that was a wonderful catch you made,” 
said Walter quietly, as he joined his friend. 

“ Was it ? ” laughed Dan, elated by the words of 
praise. 

“ Yes ; though the best thing you did was when 
you sent the ball like a shot to second,” said Walter. 

“ Nat Carey wasn’t asleep. He got the ball to 
first in time to catch the runner. Nat played a 
good game to-day at second.” 

“ That is the first time I ever saw a triple play.” 

“ Is it?” 

“ Yes. It was great.” 

“ It saved the day, I guess.” 

“ You ought not to complain, Dan,” said Walter. 
“ Fifteen strike-outs shouldn’t make you blush.” 

“ I’m not blushing.” 

“ Ye didn’t do s’ bad after all,” roared Silas, at 
that moment joining the boys and slapping Walter 


^ he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 81 


on the back as he spoke. “ I thought long in th’ 
first o’ th’ game ye wasn’t worth shucks, but th’ way 
ye took that liner an’ then giv’ it a heave t’ second 
was pretty slick. What d’ye think o’ the Rodman 
nine now ? ” he added triumphantly. 

“ I think the ‘ nine ’ consisted mostly of Dan and 
his pitching.” 

“ Dan done noble,” admitted Silas, “ but th’ 
trouble was he didn’t give none o’ th’ other fellows 
a show. He struck out so many o’ th’ Benson chaps 
that ’bout all th’ was left for our boys was t’ stan’ 
still an’ watch th’ Bensons walk up t’ th’ home plate, 
sass th’ umpire, give their club a fling, an’ march 
back an’ sit down.” 

“ Well, it came out all right, Silas,” laughed 
Walter. 

“ Ye’re right it did. I told ye ’twould, didn’t 
I? Neow what d’ye think ’bout what I said?” 

“ What did you say ? ” 

“ That Dan ought t’ get th’ New Yorks t’ come 
up here. I rather guess Dan could give their best 
knockers somethin’ t’ think ’bout.” 

Dan laughed lightly, and Walter said: “Silas, 
I’m afraid you’re a little bit prejudiced in favor of 
the Rodman nine.” 

“ Not a bit. Ye see what was done to the Benson 
fellows, didn’t ye? That tells th’ whole story.” 

“ It might be a different story if we had been 
playing a professional team like New York or 
Chicago.” 

F 


‘Page 82 


'Uhe 'Pennant 


“ Prob’ly they’d got a run or two,” admitted Silas, 
“ but they couldn’t ’a’ batted Dan. Nobody could.” 

“ He certainly did well,” said Walter warmly as 
he turned once more to his friend. “ Dan,” he 
added abruptly, “ come over to the house this 
evening, won’t you ? ” 

“ Why?” 

“ My father will be there. He’s coming up this 
afternoon and I want you to meet him.” 

“ That’s good of you, but probably he won’t be 
overanxious to see me. Why should he?” 

“ After you struck out fifteen men this afternoon? 
Why, it’s like meeting the President or the King 
of England!” exclaimed Walter enthusiastically. 

“ Is that all?” laughed Dan. 

“ No, it isn’t all. Will you come?” 

“ I’ll think about it.” 

“Will you come?” said Walter persistently. 

“What time?” 

“ Any time after supper.” 

“ I guess so.” 

“ I shall expect you ! ” 

The boys separated, each starting for his home. 
Walter’s elation over the result of the game was 
great and manifested itself in the way in which 
he walked along the road that led to his grand- 
father’s farm, which was a half-mile or more from 
the little village. His thoughts plainly were upon 
some project in his mind, for he frequently ex- 
claimed, “ Great ! We’ll have something to show 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 83 


next spring! The school will think I’ve made the 
greatest find in years ! ” 

As Walter turned into his grandfather’s yard 
he saw his father and mother seated on the wide, 
shaded veranda, and instantly he ran to greet them. 
“ When did you come ? ” he asked his father as 
soon as he had warmly welcomed him. 

“ 1 arrived about half an hour ago. Been play- 
ing ball, Walter?” Mr. Borden inquired, as he 
glanced at his boy’s uniform. 

Walter laughed as he replied, “ I thought better 
of you than that. What did you think I wore this 
suit for? To hoe potatoes?” 

“ One might suspect something of the kind,” said 
Mr. Borden smilingly. “ It certainly couldn’t look 
worse if you had been hoeing potatoes.” 

“ That’s what I got in sliding to second,” ex- 
plained Walter as he glanced at his discolored suit. 
“ I’m awfully glad you came, pop,” he added af- 
fectionately. “ I’ve got something to say to you.” 

“ How much? ” asked his father in mock serious- 
ness as he at once thrust his hand into his pocket. 

“ It isn’t money — at least, it isn’t money for me.” 

“What then?” 

“You know Dan Richards, don’t you?” 

“ Is he the boy that lives with his mother on the 
farm yonder ? ” 

“ Yes, sir. He’s one of the finest fellows I ever 
met.” 

“ I’m glad to hear that.” 


‘Page 84 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Yes, sir; he is. And he told me the other day 
that he was saving up his money ” 

“ Did he explain how, clearly enough for you 
to see?” broke in Mr. Borden good-naturedly. “ I 
shall be glad if — t — ” 

“ No/' interrupted Walter, “ he’s saving his 
money so that he can go to the normal school this 
year and then he wants to go to college.” 

“ A very worthy ambition — if he has the root 
of the matter in him.” 

“ He has. He’s one of the best fellows that ever 
lived ! He struck out fifteen men in to-day’s game ! ” 

“ Indeed!” 

“ Yes, sir; he did! Now what I want is for you 
to send him to the Tait School with me this year.” 

“ And he struck out fifteen men,” laughed Mr. 
Borden. 

“ Yes, sir; I wish you might have seen him! It 
was wonderful ! And he’ll do well in school and 
in college too ! He’s one of those quiet fellows who 
always do everything well.” 

“ That means a thousand dollars a year, Walter.” 

“ Well, you can cut down my allowance. He can 
room with me. I’m sure he’d have a good influence 
over me and you often say you care more for that 
than you do for anything else.” 

“ I do, my boy. You’d better get ready for sup- 
per now. We’ll talk about this matter later.” 

“ What a generous boy Walter is ! ” said his 
mother fondly as her son departed. 




e UheJP ennant Page 85 

“ What makes you think that? ” inquired her hus- 
band. 

“ Because he wants to help Dan. And Dan is a 
good boy. He is fond of Walter, and I hear that he 
is very good to his mother, who is a widow.” 

“ Likewise he struck out fifteen to-day,” retorted 
Mr. Borden quizzically. 

“ What makes you laugh?” demanded Mrs. Bor- 
den a little resentfully. “ I’m sure I don’t know just 
what that means, but it must be something good.” 


*Page 86 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER IX 

STUDYING A BOY 

I T is good, very good, indeed. It isn’t often a 
young pitcher can do so well as that, but I fancy 
he didn’t have any very skilful batters to face,” 
laughed Mr. Borden. 

“ I don’t know what ‘ struck out ’ means,” said 
Mrs. Borden. “ It doesn’t mean that Dan struck 
anybody, does it ? ” 

“ Not necessarily.” 

“ Well, I’m sure he is a good boy and I’m proud 
of Walter that he wants to help Dan obtain an 
education. For my part I think it shows a decidedly 
generous nature.” 

“ I thought he wanted me to help Dan.” 

“ You know perfectly well what he meant.” 

“ Yes, I fancy I do,” said her husband good- 
naturedly. 

“You are going to help him, aren’t you?” 

“ It depends.” 

“Upon what?” 

“ Upon what I find in the boy. I don’t know of 
any better way to invest my money than to put it 
into men. But there isn’t any use in trying to make a 
successful man out of an incompetent or lazy boy.” 


‘Uhe Pennant 


Page 87 


“ Dan isn’t lazy — I’m sure of that,” said Mrs. 
Borden warmly. “ Everybody around here knows 
how hard he and Tom work on the farm.” 

“ Who is Tom?” 

“ He is Dan’s brother.” 

“ And does he too want to go to school and col- 
lege?” 

“ I haven’t heard that he did. What Walter said 
about Dan to-night is the first I’ve heard that Dan 
wanted an education.” 

“ And he struck out fifteen in the game to-day,” 
said Mr. Borden mockingly. 

“ I don’t understand what you mean, but you 
say it isn’t anything bad.” 

“ On the contrary, it is quite remarkable.” 

“ Then why do you laugh ? ” 

“ Did I laugh ? ” asked Mr. Borden soberly. 

“ You know you did. It doesn’t seem to me quite 
fair to Walter. I’m sure if he takes an interest in 
helping Dan get an education you ought not to dis- 
courage him.” 

“ Perish the thought, mother.” 

“ I never can tell whether you are serious or not.” 

“ I’m serious about one thing — I wish supper was 
ready.” 

“ I’m sure it must be, for I heard Martha say she 
would have it by the time Walter came.” 

“ Well, Walter has come, but I don’t see any 
signs of supper.” 

“There! There’s the gong!” exclaimed Mrs. 


*Page 88 


^he Pennant 


Borden as the musical sound of a Japanese gong 
was heard from the dining-room. “ You won’t 
have to wait any longer. Here comes Walter.” 

All hastened at once to the room where supper 
was served and the food Martha had prepared 
speedily began to disappear from the table. 

“ This is better than the city,” said Mr. Borden 
after a brief time had elapsed. “ It was very warm 
there this morning. Here, the very view I have 
from the window rests me. I sometimes think I’d 
like to give up work and come up here and stay.” 

“ You wouldn’t think of giving up work at your 
age,” exclaimed his wife. 

“ Not with one boy in the Tait School and an- 
other that Walter is thinking of sending,” laughed 
Mr. Borden. 

“ You helped one of the boys in your office to go 
to college,” suggested Walter. 

“ He was worth it — worth all I put into him.” 

“ So will Dan be.” 

“ That remains to be seen. I suppose I’ll have 
a chance some time to see this prodigy — let me see, 
was it eighteen he struck out to-day ? ” 

“ Fifteen,” replied Walter promptly. “ Dan is 
coming over here after supper.” 

“Have you said anything to him?” asked Mr. 
Borden sharply. 

“ No, sir ; not a word.” 

“ That is wise. Well, we’ll soon find out whether 
it’s another Daniel come to judgment or just 


he ‘Pennant 


Page 89 


another case of mistaken identity. You say he 
struck out twenty men to-day ? ” 

“ No, fifteen.’’ 

“ So it was. How much do you pay this Dan 
when you hire him to take you fishing on Six 
Town Pond ? ” 

“ Two dollars a day.” 

“ Does he earn his money ? ” 

" He does that ! ” exclaimed Walter with enthu- 
siasm. “ The other day we got a pickerel that 
weighed almost ten pounds and we saw a snake 
almost as big as a fence rail.” 

“ You say * we ’ got a ten-pound pickerel. Who 
got it — you or Dan ? ” 

“ I caught it — though I don’t believe I’d have 
landed it if it hadn’t been for him.” 

“ Quite likely. What did he do ? ” 

“ He just told me what to do.” 

“ Has he been studying any at night ? ” abruptly 
asked Mr. Borden. 

“ Every night,” replied Walter promptly. 

“ I’ll go over to his farm with you to-morrow 
morning.” 

“ Dan said he might come over here to-night.” 

“ That is all right,” said Mr. Borden quietly. 

An hour later when the entire family was seated 
on the piazza Dan appeared. He was quiet, al- 
most shy in his bearing, and as he accepted Mrs. 
Borden’s invitation to a seat with the family he 


‘Page 90 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


found himself sitting between Walter and his 
father. Mr. Borden took little part in the con- 
versation, but Walter was positive that his father 
was quietly observing his friend and consequently 
was eager to have him make a good impression. 
But Dan too was unusually silent even for him and 
Walter was compelled to do most of the talking, 
though it cannot be said that the task, for him, 
was a difficult one. 

At last Mr. Borden inquired, “ Dan, how many 
acres are in your farm?” 

“ Fifty-one, sir,” replied Dan. 

“ All under cultivation ? ” 

“ No, sir. We have a nine-acre wood-lot and 
there are about twelve acres we use as pasture. 
IBs rock land and the soil is thin.” 

“ What do you raise mostly? ” 

“ Some wheat, considerable corn, and more pota- 
toes ? ” 

“ Why do you raise potatoes ? ” 

“ Because I have a ready market and they pay 
best. The soil is just right for them.” 

“ How do you know it is ? ” 

“If you saw our potatoes I don’t think you’d 
ask that question.” 

“ Did your father raise many potatoes ? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ What made you try it then ? ” 

“ One of the Otis boys took the agricultural 
course at college. When he was in college I asked 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


' Page 9 / 


him to analyze some of the soil. It was when he 
was a student and I don’t suppose his analysis 
was absolutely correct. But he talked with his pro- 
fessors, told them about our farm, how it was 
located and all, and they advised trying potatoes as 
a crop. We did — and we are satisfied.” 

“ You say you have a good market. Where is 
it?” 

“ All over is about the best answer I can give you, 
Mr. Borden. A good many people come up here 
every summer from the city. I make arrangements 
with a few of them to ship a barrel or two directly 
to each family every fall.” 

“ Do you get the market price ? ” 

“Yes, sir; after taking out the freight.” 

“ Market price here or of the wholesalers or 
retailers in the city ? ” 

“ The retail price in the city.” 

“ Don’t you think that is a little too much ? ” 
laughed Mr. Borden. 

“ No, sir.” 

“ How is that?” 

“ They pay us just what they’d have to pay at 
a grocery store, and our potatoes are better.” 

“Is that what your customers say?” 

“ Yes, sir ; and we don’t have any small potatoes 
in the bottom of the barrel.” 

“ That’s something worth thinking of. My boy 
tells me you played a great game of ball to-day.” 

“Yes, sir; the nine did well.” 


‘ Page 92 


C Vhe ‘Pennant 


“ Walter says you made up the nine.” 

“Did he tell you that? Walter himself began 
a triple play in the ninth inning that probably saved 
my record.” 

“ I don’t recall if he did.” 

“What is a triple play?” inquired Mrs. Borden. 

“ It’s when you get three out right together,” 
explained Walter. 

“Of course. I ought to have known that,” said 
Mrs. Borden. “ How far ‘ out ’ do they have to go ? 
I could hear the boys this afternoon. They were 
not very far out from the village.” 

“ Not very far, mother,” said Walter. 

“ I must come over and see your potatoes, Dan,” 
said Mr. Borden. “ Are they doing well this 
season ? ” 

“ Yes, sir,” Dan replied, “ though we’ve had a 
hard fight with the bugs. I never saw them worse 
than they are this summer.” 

For an hour or more the party remained on the 
piazza, Mr. Borden taking only an occasional part 
in the conversation, which Walter did not suffer to 
lag. Dan, absolutely unaware that Mr. Borden was 
listening and watching with a purpose, was quiet in 
his manner, speaking less frequently than his friend 
and then in fewer words. It was plain that he en- 
joyed the evening, for Walter’s mother, as well as 
the other members of the family, by their manifest 
friendliness and interest, made him less conscious 


^he ‘Pennant 


Vage 93 


of himself, and the quiet boy entered after his own 
manner into the spirit of the group. 

After Dan’s departure Mrs. Borden said to her 
husband, “Well, what do you think of Dan? To 
me he seems to be an unusually fine boy.” 

“ Yes,” agreed Mr. Borden. 

“ Are you going to help him through school ? ” 

“ I thought Walter was planning to do that,” 
laughed Mr. Borden quietly. 

“ I am proud that my boy is so generous,” said 
Mrs. Borden warmly. “ He wants to help his 
friend.” 

“ How many was it that Dan struck out ? ” asked 
Mr. Borden soberly as he turned to his boy. 
“ Twenty-one, wasn’t it?” 

“No, sir; fifteen,” replied Walter promptly. 

“ So it was,” assented Mr. Borden. “ That is a 
good record.” 

“ But Dan is more than a good ball-player,” as- 
serted Walter. “ He is a hard worker and he has 
the best head on him I ever saw. He never loses 
his head in a game, he doesn’t dispute the umpire or 
yell at the fellows ” 

“Do you ever do that, Walter?” broke in Mr. 
Borden. 

“ I’m afraid I do,” admitted Walter shame- 
facedly. 

“ All boys shout, I hear them every day,” spoke 
up Mrs. Borden. “ I am sure Walter does no 
more than other boys of his age.” 


‘ Page 94 


he ‘Pennant 


“ Not in your ears, mother,” laughed her husband. 
“ Ask Walter what he thinks about it. He ought to 
know.” 

“ What I want to know is whether or not you 
are going to help Dan.” 

“ I cannot say as yet.” 

“ Why not?” 

“ I must see more of him first. It would be no 
real kindness to Dan to take him away from the 
farm, where I fancy he is doing fairly well, and put 
him into some other work in which he might fail.” 

“ But I thought you believed in education,” pro- 
tested Mrs. Borden. 

“ I do,” said her husband simply. 

“ Then I don’t see ” began Mrs. Borden. 

“ Education and school and college are not always 
the same thing.” 

“ But schools are to provide education.” 

“ They provide opportunities,” said Mr. Borden 
quietly. “ If a boy goes to school and doesn’t use 
his opportunities, the fact that he has attended or 
even been graduated from a certain institution 
doesn’t make him an educated man, does it? Edu- 
cation is like the water in a trough — if a horse 
doesn’t drink it, it doesn’t make any difference how 
many times he has been led to it or what a fine 
trough the water is in. No horse quenches his 
thirst except by drinking.” 

“ What is an education then ? ” 

“ Perhaps I can best answer that question by 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


Vage 95 


telling what a certain great college president ex- 
plained it to be. He said there are four great proc- 
esses or operations of a boy’s mind which education 
ought to develop if it is to fulfil its best purpose — 
the first is observing accurately, the second is re- 
cording correctly, the next is the ability to compare 
and group and draw a correct inference, and the 
last is the ability to express clearly and forcefully 
what he has learned.” 

“ Don’t you think Dan can do all that ? I’m sure 
Walter can,” affirmed Mrs. Borden. 

“ Can he? ” said Mr. Borden quizzically. “ Well, 
if he can then he is educated already and I shall 
not need to send him to school any more. As for 
Dan, I must see more of him. The most I know 
now is that he struck out fifteen men to-day.” 


Page 96 


‘Uhe Pennant 


CHAPTER X 

MR. BORDEN DECIDES 

B RIGHT and early the following morning, Mr. 

Borden, accompanied by Walter, went to 
Dan’s home. Eager as Walter was to talk about the 
prospect of his friend being enrolled as a pupil in 
the Tait School he did not refer to the matter which 
was uppermost in his thoughts. The clear warm air 
of the summer morning, the green of the fields of 
waving corn, the sight of the well-fed and contented 
cattle in the pastures, the songs of the birds in the 
treetops — all were so attractive to the man who had 
found a brief respite from the cares of his office in 
the city that somehow Walter was aware that his 
father had no desire to talk. Accordingly, the two 
walked in silence and in a brief time stood before 
the open door of the kitchen in Dan’s home, where 
his mother was busily engaged in her morning 
tasks. 

“ Good morning, Mrs. Richards,” called Mr. Bor- 
den, who already had a slight acquaintance with 
Dan’s mother. “ Walter and I were taking a morn- 
ing stroll and stopped for a moment to look about 
us here.” 

“ Good morning, Mr. Borden,” responded Mrs. 


e C ’ he ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 97 


Richards, advancing to the door and drying her 
arms on a towel as she did so. There was no 
apology for being found doing this, and simply and 
cordially she said, “ Won’t you come in ? ” 

“ Thank you,” replied Mr. Borden. “ I think I 
understand what it means to be interrupted in a 
busy hour. No, we’ll not come in, but if you don’t 
object we’ll take a walk about your place and look 
up the boys.” 

“ They are in the field, yonder,” she said point- 
ing to a distant part of the little farm. “We call 
it the ten-acre lot.” 

“ They appear to be busy too,” suggested Mr. 
Borden. 

“ They are, but not too busy to see their friends. 
I’ll call them,” she added as she reached for a long 
tin horn that was hanging on the kitchen wall. 

“ No ! not by any means ! ” said Mr. Borden 
hastily. “ Don’t disturb the boys. We shall find 
them easily. It is all slightly different from what 
I find in my office,” he added smilingly. “ There, 
I’m afraid the boys are more likely to stop work 
before the horn sounds.” 

“ My boys are good workers — they have to be,” 
said Mrs. Richards simply. 

“ Yes, I understand. It is hard when the head of 
the family is gone.” 

“ It isn’t that only, though of course Dan and 
Tom feel more responsibility than they would if 
their father had lived. But they are both inter- 
G 


Page 98 


^he ‘Pennant 


ested in the farm, though Dan is interested in his 
books too.” 

“ Which is he more interested in — the farm or his 
books?” 

“ Books.” 

“ Isn’t he too tired to study when night comes, 
after working so hard all day ? ” 

“If he is he doesn’t say anything about it. Since 
young Mr. Moulton has been here he has been 
helping Dan.” 

“ Yes, he’s been showing Dan how to pitch too,” 
broke in Walter. 

“ So he has,” said Mrs. Richards smilingly. 
“ You’d think those boys had had enough work 
when night comes, but they go out behind the barn 
almost every night after supper and Dan will throw 
a ball to Tom with all his might and keep it up for 
an hour at a time. I hear Mr. Moulton talking to 
them, but I can’t seem to make head or tail of what 
he is saying. It’s mostly about inshoots and fade- 
aways and drop-balls and spitballs. When I was a 
girl in school the boys used to throw spitballs. I 
guess you could see some of ’em still sticking to 
the ceiling of the old Pine Tree schoolhouse. But 
Mr. Moulton and Tom and Dan seem to take it all 
seriously, though for my part I can’t see how or 
why. But then,” she added complacently, “ they’re 
boys and I’m just a middle-aged woman, an’ it isn’t 
natural to think I’d be interested in the things that 
interest my boys.” 


^ he ‘Pennant 


Page 99 


“ You are interested in the boys though, I fancy/’ 
suggested Mr. Borden smiling as he spoke. 

“ I wouldn’t be fit to be their mother if I wasn’t. 
They’re both good boys. There, I’ve talked enough 
about my own flesh and blood. I wish you would 
come in. I have some fresh buttermilk — right from 
the churn.” 

“We’ll stop and have some on our way back if 
that will not be too much trouble,” said Mr. Borden 
as he and Walter turned away. 

As they came to the barn and sheds Mr. Borden 
glanced keenly at the objects in view. “ Dan and 
Tom appear to be taking good care of their belong- 
ings,” he said quietly. “ The wagons are all under 
cover and there’s no litter about the place. Let me 
step inside the barn a moment,” he added as he 
entered the rude building. 

Walter looked rather eagerly into his father’s face 
when Mr. Borden came out of the barn, but as his 
father smiled and did not refer to what he had seen 
inside the building he did not voice the question he 
was eager to ask. 

As the two drew near the place where Dan and 
his brother were hoeing, the young farmers did not 
stop their labors as they pleasantly greeted their 
visitors. 

“ We are on our way back home and just stopped 
a moment to look at your potato-field,” Mr. Bor- 
den explained. “ You certainly have a promising 
crop, boys.” 


‘Page 100 


Uhe Pennant 


“ Yes, sir,” replied Dan glancing with pride at 
the long and well-cultivated rows. “ We have had 
an unusually good summer.” 

“ Is this the last hoeing ? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ You’ll still have to fight the bugs, won’t you? ” 

“ Oh yes,” said Dan smiling as he spoke. “ They 
keep us from getting lazy. I don’t know what 
they were made for anyway.” 

“ When you do find out you must not forget to 
let the rest of us know. You might investigate 
mosquitoes and a few other creatures while you are 
at it.” 

“ Well, they are a sure cure for taking things 
too easily.” 

“Are they?” laughed Mr. Borden. “Some of 
us think we don’t need any whip or spur for that. 
Have you ever been in the city, Dan ? ” 

“ Never in New York.” 

“ Like it better here I fancy.” 

“ I never expect to find anything I like as well 
as I do this place.” 

“ Then you are planning to stay here, are you ? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ I recall that Walter told me you were going to 
the normal school this fall.” 

“ I want to go.” 

“If you are so fond of the farm why do you 
leave it?” 

“ A farmer ought to be more than his farm.” 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 101 


“ I don’t think I quite understand you.” 

“ It pays to put money into a farm. It ought to 
pay better to put money into a farmer.” 

“ Why?” 

“ I don’t know that I can explain, though I see 
what I mean,” said Dan thoughtfully. “ I have an 
idea that an education helps to set a man’s brains 
in working order.” 

“ It ought to,” assented Mr. Borden. 

“ That is what I want.” 

“ So you are going to the normal school to work, 
are you ? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ And you don’t expect to dodge any classes or 
slip along as easily as possible ? ” 

“ I don’t know what I may do, but I know what 
I need and what I want too. I want to get my 
brains into as good working order as I have the 
muscles in my right arm.” 

“ Walter told me you struck out fifteen yester- 
day.” 

“ Yes, sir,” replied Dan simply. 

“ Come on, Walter; we must be going,” said Mr. 
Borden turning to his boy. 

Bidding the young farmers good morning the 
visitors at once departed, walking toward the rail 
fence which they speedily climbed, and then follow- 
ing the course of the noisy brook they returned 
to the bridge. 

“ Dan seems to be a quiet fellow,” said Mr. 


‘Page 102 


* Uhe Pennant 


Borden as he and Walter halted on the bridge and 
looked down into the swiftly flowing water. 

“ He is,” exclaimed Walter eagerly. “ There 
isn’t a bit of brag in his whole make-up. Every- 
body likes him. And he has hardly been out of sight 
of Rodman in all his life.” 

“ Time enough for that later. Why do you want 
him to go to the Tait School? Why not let him 
go on and do as he is planning?” 

“ Go to the normal school ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ I’d like to have him with me.” 

“How many did he strike out?” asked Mr. 
Borden quizzically. 

“ Fifteen.” 

“ And you think he’d do that for the Tait School 
nine?” 

“ I’d like him to have a chance to show what he 
can do.” 

“ Walter, if Dan hadn’t struck out fifteen yester- 
day would you have wanted him to enter the Tait 
School this year ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” replied Walter in some con- 
fusion. “ Of course, I’d like our nine to have him. 
But his pitching isn’t all there is to Dan. He’s ” 

“ I can understand that,” broke in Mr. Borden. 
“ Come, Walter, we mustn’t keep your grand- 
mother’s dinner waiting.” As they at once started 
toward the farmhouse Walter was eager to ask 
his father what his decision was, but as Mr. Borden 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


'Page 103 


walked thoughtfully along the roadside his boy 
looked at him keenly and decided to wait before he 
made any further inquiries. Indeed, Mr. Borden 
did not again refer to the matter until just before 
his departure for the city. He had been away from 
the farmhouse twice, but he had gone by himself 
each time, and did not refer to what he had been 
doing. 

“ Walter,” Mr. Borden said as he was preparing 
for his departure, “ I have decided to let you tell 
Dan that he can go to the Tait School this coming 
year.” 

“ Great ! ” shouted Walter in his delight. “ I 
was sure you would do it when you found out what 
kind of a fellow Dan is.” 

“ I have talked with two or three who know him 
well — Mr. Moulton among others. Their reports 
are all favorable to Dan, but the one thing that 
more than any other influenced me was what I 
found he was doing in the work on the farm. 
Walter, he will room with you.” 

“ Just what I want.” 

“ You know, he has not been accustomed to some 
things that are a part of your life. He may appear 
a bit awkward at first ” 

“ I'll risk all that ! ” broke in the boy in his enthu- 
siasm. 

Mr. Borden smiled and said: “ Very well, Walter. 
There is much that you and Dan can teach each 
other and I’ve no doubt each of you will try to be 


T^age 104 


e Z? he ‘Pennant 


a teacher. Whether or not either of you will be a 
very apt scholar remains to be seen.” 

“ I don’t understand.” 

“ You will a little later.” 

“ It’s good of you to do this for Dan.” 

“ Is it? Your mother says you are the one that is 
doing it. Don’t forget that, Walter. Good-bye ; I’ll 
see you soon and I shall be interested in hearing 
about your talk with Dan.” 

As Mrs. Borden was to accompany her husband 
to the station, Walter at once started for Dan’s 
home. He was highly elated over his father’s de- 
cision, though he had been confident that his con- 
sent would be granted. It was seldom that Walter 
met a rebuff in the family in which he was an only 
child. 

He stopped a moment on the bridge that spanned 
the brook and saw Dan coming from the fields to 
his house. The sight of his friend aroused his en- 
thusiasm once more, and turning into the near-by lot 
Walter began to run. As he came near, he shouted 
in his eagerness, “ Dan ! Dan ! Wait a minute ! I’ve 
got something to tell you ! ” 

Dan stopped as he heard the call, and in a brief 
time his friend ran to him. “ What’s wrong ? ” in- 
quired Dan in his quiet way as he became aware of 
the excitement under which Walter was laboring. 

“ I’ve got some great news for you, Dan,” panted 
Walter. 

“ For me?” 


c XJhe ‘Pennant 


-Page 105 


“ Yes, sir ! For you and me too. You’re going to 
the Tait School this year. You’re to room with me. 
You’ll be the pitcher on the nine and the biggest 
‘ find ’ we’ve ever had. Oh, it’s immense, Dan ! I 
just 

“ Hold on a minute,” interrupted Dan. “ I’m not 
very clear what you mean.” 

“ You are to go to the Tait School this year and 
room with me.” 

“ How am I to go ? ” 

“ My father is to send you.” 

“ Do you mean he is to pay for me ? ” 

“ Yes, sir. That’s it exactly. He’s going to send 
you and you’re to room with me. Why? What’s 
wrong about that? It’s just as I’m telling you!” 
exclaimed Walter somewhat aghast as Dan slowly 
shook his head. 


*Page 106 


cfjhe Pennant 


CHAPTER XI 

A REFUSAL 

I CAN’T do it,” said Dan soberly. 

“ Can’t do it!” exclaimed Walter. “You 
can’t help yourself! You’re going to the Tait 
School ! You’re going to room with me ; you’re go- 
ing to pitch on our nine and ” 

“ It’s good of you, Walter; but I can’t, that’s all.” 
“Why can’t you?” 

“ It costs too much. I simply can’t do it. I can 

go to the normal school ” 

“ But, man, you aren’t going to pay the bills ! ” 
interrupted Walter. 

“ Who will pay them ? ” 

“ My father.” 

Dan was silent a moment, looking down at the 
ground at his feet. When he glanced at his friend 
again he said, “ That’s too much, Walter. It’s too 

much for your father ” 

“ You don’t know my father! ” broke in Walter 
impulsively. “ He has whole barrels of money. 
Why, Dan, only last month he cleaned up a cool 

hundred thousand in a deal ” 

“ Well, it’s his money, not mine.” 

“Of course it is, and if he chooses to take one 



“ ‘ {But, man, you aren’t going to pay the bills ’ 


‘ Page 106 



































































'U he ‘Pennant 


Page 107 


per cent of what he made on that deal and put it 
into your education, why, that’s his business too, 
isn’t it?” 

“ Not entirely.” 

“ Whose is it?” 

“ Partly mine.” 

“ No, sir!” declared Walter emphatically. “It’s 
none of your business! My father has a right to 
spend his own money just as he wants to, hasn’t 
he? I’ve heard him say a million times that all 
money was good for anyway was just to use. Don’t 
be foolish, Dan.” 

“ I don’t mean to be. I can’t tell you how much 
I appreciate what you’ve just said to me. But, 
Walter, there’s another side and you haven’t thought 
of that.” 

“ There isn’t any other side ! ” declared Walter 
promptly. 

“ Doesn’t everything have at least two sides ? ” 
asked Dan quizzically. 

“ No, sir!” 

“ What hasn’t, for example? ” 

“ This offer I’m making you. Why, Dan, it’s 
the chance of a lifetime. You’ve never been out 
of Rodman except to go over to Benson or to Simp- 
son’s Corners to play ball. You don’t know any- 
thing of what the world is like.” Unaware of the 
dull flush that spread over Dan’s cheeks as he spoke, 
Walter continued eagerly : “ Why, man alive, the 
Tait School is the greatest school in the United 


Page 108 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


States ! There isn’t another that can hold a candle 
to it ! Why, our nine whipped the freshman nine of 
every one of the big colleges. We’ve had more men 
enter college without conditions in the last five years 
than any other prep school. We’ve got the best 
teachers, the finest buildings, the greatest crowd of 
fellows. Why, Dan, you simply don’t know what 
you’re talking about ! You’re turning down a chance 
that hundreds of fellows would jump at. You can’t 
mean it! If you talk it over with Moulton, he’ll 
tell you that if you are fool enough to say no it’ll 
just show that you haven’t brains and aren’t fit to 
go to school anywhere, not even to the normal school 
that you seem to think is one of the big institutions 
of the land. I’m not going to say another word to 
you about it now. When you think it over and 
tell your mother and Tom and Moulton about it you 
won’t have a peg left to hang your hat on.” 

“ It’s good of you anyway, Walter,” said Dan 
quietly. “Don’t forget that I appreciate all you 
say.” 

“No! You don’t half appreciate it or you 
wouldn’t pull off the way you’re doing. Honestly, 
Dan, is there a single real reason why you can’t say 
‘ yes ’ right off the bat ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ What is it?” 

“ I don’t know that I can make you see it, Walter, 
but it’s too much to take when I know it will be 
a long time before I can pay back the money.” 


he ‘Pennant 


• Page 109 


“ But you don’t have to pay it back! You don’t 
even have to think of that! My father will pay 
every cent of the term-bills ! ” 

“ Walter, did you ever think of what it means 
for a fellow to be poor and have to take what some 
one else gives him ? ” 

“ I don’t know that I have,” replied Walter more 
seriously. “ Though when it comes to that,” he 
added lightly, “ I haven’t very many shekels myself, 
except my allowance.” 

“ That’s different.” 

“ I suppose it is — after a fashion. I never thought 
very much about it anyway.” 

“ If I should offer to give you my yearling colt 
would you take her ? ” 

“ No.” 

“Of course you wouldn’t,” said Dan positively. 

“ That’s different too. In the first place, you 
couldn’t afford to give Ban away. She’s too valu- 
able ” 

“No, that’s not it!” interrupted Dan. “You 
wouldn’t be thinking as much of me as you would 
of yourself. You’d be saying to yourself, ‘ I can’t 
take Ban. It’s too much to take as a gift.’ Now, 
be honest, Walter, isn’t that really just what you’d 
think ? ” 

“ Perhaps I might,” admitted Walter, “ but that 
has nothing to do with this case.” 

“Hasn’t it?” 

“ Not a bit ! You see ” 


‘ Page 110 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ I don’t just see. I tell you, old man, it’s good 
of you and your father, but I want you to think of 
my side too.” 

“ Dan, you’re an obstinate old ” 

“ I guess you’re another.” 

“ I’m not, either! You just pull back like a balky 
mule!” 

“ While you’re pulling just as hard the other 
way.” 

“ You’ll be sorry some day and call yourself seven 
kinds of a fool! It isn’t every day in the week a 
fellow gets the chance to turn down such an offer 
as you’ve got.” 

“ Don’t you suppose I know that ? ” asked Dan 
softly, as he became aware that his disappointed 
friend was becoming angry. 

“ You’ll be sorry when it’s too late, I’m afraid.” 

“ That may be true.” 

“ It will be true ! It is true ! I simply can’t 
understand how any fellow can be such a fool as to 
throw over a chance to go to the Tait School, espe- 
cially when the chances are that he’ll be the pitcher 
on the school nine. And, Dan,” Walter continued 
eagerly, “ there hasn’t been a pitcher on the Tait 
School team who hasn’t been a varsity pitcher after 
he entered college. There’s Moulton, for example 
— oh, I’m not going to say anything more about it. 
If you could only see the Tait School just once 
you’d be perfectly willing for your old normal 
school to go to the hayseeds where it belongs. You 


^he ‘Pennant 


"Page III 


think it over. I’ll see you again sometime. I’m 
going back to my grandfather’s now.” 

As Walter turned away abruptly, and without 
once looking behind him, he was not aware that 
Dan remained standing in the place where the con- 
versation had taken place and was ruefully watching 
his friend as he walked rapidly back to the old 
bridge. 

“Well, Walter, what did Dan say when you told 
him what your father was going to do for him?” 
inquired Mrs. Borden cheerily as her boy entered his 
grandfather’s house. 

“ He said he wouldn’t do it,” replied Walter 
somewhat tartly. 

“What?” 

“ Yes, mother, that’s exactly what he said.” 

“ Why did he say that ? ” 

“ You can search me ! Dan is as obstinate as a 
pig in a garden. He’s the most unreasonable fel- 
low I know anywhere.” 

“ I’m sure you did your part. It was noble of 
you to want to help Dan to obtain an education. I 
said that to your father — - — ” 

“ What did father say when you told him ? ” 
broke in Walter. 

“ He laughed, and all he said was Dan had fifteen 
hit-outs in the game.” 

“ Strike-outs, I guess you mean, mother.” 

“ Is there any difference between a strike and 
a hit? I should think they meant pretty much the 


Vage 112 


‘‘Che ‘Pennant 


same thing. If you were to strike another boy 
you’d be hitting him, wouldn’t you ? ” 

“ I might strike at him without hitting him.” 

“Yes?” said Mrs. Borden dubiously. “Well, I 
shouldn’t let it trouble me, Walter. You were 
generous, I’m sure. I think it was noble of you 
and you made me feel very proud. Probably when 
your father comes up for the week-end he’ll be able 
to persuade Dan, though it does seem a little strange 
that one should have to persuade a boy to take what 
you are giving him.” 

“ You don’t know Dan ! He’s the most obstinate 
and unreasonable boy in seven kingdoms.” 

“ Don’t be discouraged, my boy. Your father will 
find some way. He always does.” 

Whether Walter was “ discouraged ” or not he 
did not explain, though he did not go near Dan’s 
home before the end of the week brought the return 
of Mr. Borden to the old homestead. His first 
word to his father, when Walter went in the auto- 
mobile to meet him at the station, was, “ Dan won’t 
do it.” 

“Won’t he?” inquired Mr. Borden with a smile 
and not seeming at all surprised. 

“ No, sir. He’s as obstinate as an old mule.” 

“ Perhaps it isn’t quite so bad as that.” 

“ Yes, it is ! I never saw such a fellow as Dan 
is. He doesn’t say much, but when he takes his 
stand you can’t budge him an inch. I don’t see 
why he turns down such a chance.” 


“TT/ie ‘Pennant 


•. Page 113 


“ It may be that he will change his mind. What 
did you say when you told him of the offer? ” 

“ I don’t remember. I didn’t say very much. 
I just told him what you had said. Probably I 
didn’t put it strongly enough.” 

Mr. Borden laughed and said, “ Never mind, my 
boy. I’ll have a little talk with Dan.” 

“ I wish you would, father ! I don’t know that 
it will do any good, but there’s no harm in trying 
anyway.” 

“ Let me see — how many was it that Dan struck 
out in the game with the Benson nine ? ” 

“You know already,” replied Walter a trifle 
tartly. 

“ Twenty-six? ” 

“ No, sir. Fifteen.” 

“ That’s a good record. Well, I’ll see Dan soon.” 

Walter’s eagerness and impatience increased 
when apparently his father forgot or ignored his 
promise. Not a word concerning his promised in- 
terview was said that evening nor on the morning 
following. It was late Saturday afternoon when 
Mr. Borden told his boy that he was about to go 
to Dan’s home and that he wished to go alone. 

“ You’ll need me,” pleaded Walter. “ You don’t 
know Dan as well as I do.” 

“ Not in the same way, is what you mean, 
Walter.” 

“ I’d like to go.” 

“ I’d be glad to have you, but it will be better 

H 


Page 114 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


for you to stay here. If I have to do more after- 
ward I may call in your help, but I’m sure, my boy, 
much as you think of Dan you would hinder more 
than you would help if you were to accompany me 
this time. I am not without hope that I’ll have a 
good word for you when I come back. Please tell 
me once more, Walter, how many Dan struck out in 
the Benson game.” 

“ You know already.” 

“ So I do. It was fifteen, wasn’t it? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ What is the record ? ” 

“ For strike-outs ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ There have been quite a good many * no hit ’ 
games. I don’t know just what the record for 
strike-outs is. It might be ” 

“ Perhaps Dan will make it when he becomes the 
pitcher of the Tait School nine,” suggested Mr. Bor- 
den good-naturedly. “ Don’t give up too easily, 
Walter. One never can tell what may come, but in 
business I have learned at least one thing which 
would have been of help to you if you had known 
it before your interview with Dan.” 

“ What is that?” 

“ Never give the ‘ other fellow ’ the chance to say 
* no.’ ” 

“ I don’t see how you can help it sometimes.” 

“ That’s one of the things you have to learn by 
experience. Now I’ll go over to see the great 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 115 


‘ strike-out ’ pitcher. Let me see now ; I must be 
sure of my ground. Was it twenty that Dan struck 
out?” 

“ I sha’n’t tell you any more that it was fif- 
teen,” replied Walter a little crossly as he became 
aware that his father was good-naturedly making 
fun of him. 

“ Where will you be, Walter, when I come 
back?” 

“ Right here on the piazza.” 


'Page 1 16 


he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XII 

DAN RECONSIDERS 

A N hour had elapsed when Walter, who had 
not once left the piazza where he and his 
mother had been seated, exclaimed excitedly, “ There 
he comes, mother ! I hope he has had good luck.” 

“ I’m sure your father has induced the foolish 
boy to accept his offer. He has a great way of 
dealing with men, though I must confess that I 
haven’t very much sympathy with Dan. It seems 
to me that he has been a very foolish boy even to 
hesitate a moment. I’m sure he never will have 
another such opportunity.” 

“ You don’t know Dan, mother,” said Walter as 
he arose and ran down the steps to greet his father. 
“ What luck, father ? ” he asked eagerly. “ Did you 
get Dan to say he would go ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Great ! ” shouted the excited boy. “ We’ll make 
you an honorary member of the nine! How did 
you do it ? What did Dan say ? ” 

“ He didn’t say very much.” 

“But he really is going?” 

“ You’ll find him next September in your room 
when you go back to school.” 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


•Page 117 


“ Tell me how you did it ! ” 

“ I can’t do that just now. Isn’t it enough for 
you to know that Dan is to enter the Tait School 
this fall?” 

“ Yes, sir; but I’d like to know how you got him 
to say yes.” 

“ He won’t tell you.” 

“And you won’t, either?” 

“ Not just now.” 

“ When will you tell me ? ” 

“ Perhaps at Christmas, perhaps next summer, or 
it may be that you never will know.” 

“ Why not?” 

“ That’s another thing you may never know, 
though I don’t mind telling you that I think you will 
find out.” 

“How? When? 

“YoiU must wait. I have succeeded in getting 
Dan to go to school with you. Can’t you be content 
with that ? ” 

“ I’ll have to be,” said Walter, “ though I’d like 
to know the rest. May I go over then and talk it 
over with Dan ? ” 

“ Of course.” 

“ Then I’ll go now ! ” exclaimed Walter as he ran 
from the piazza. 

“ John, what did you say to Dan? ” inquired Mrs. 
Borden of her husband, as he seated himself in a 
chair beside her. 

“ Well, I told Dan for one thing that he was not 


‘Page 118 


e Uhe Pennant 


acting wisely in turning down the chance I gave 
him. I told him there was a difference between 
begging and receiving. That it sometimes was more 
gracious to receive than it was to give.” 

“ I can’t understand you, John,” said Mrs. Bor- 
den a little impatiently. “ One would think to hear 
you that it was Dan conferring the favor and not 
you or Walter.” 

“ That is exactly what I did tell him,” said Mr. 
Borden quietly. 

“You did?” 

“ I did. I told him that I knew as well as he 
that Walter was an only child and spoiled by his 
mother ” 

“ I don’t do any more for him than you do, 
John,” protested Mrs. Borden. 

“ I know that. We both do too much. The boy 
would be better off if he did more for himself, but 
I haven’t the strength of character to do what I 
know I ought to do. I didn’t have, when I was a 
boy, a fraction of what Walter has. My father 
made me work for almost everything I had. I 
didn’t like it then, but he was a wiser as well as a 
better man than I am.” 

“ There ' couldn’t be a more generous man than 
you, John.” 

“Couldn’t there?” laughed Mr. Borden. “Well, 
I told Dan that I knew as well as he did that Walter 
is conceited and selfish — he thinks a good deal more 
of himself than of anyone else ” 


e £T he ‘Pennant 


•Page 119 


“ You didn’t tell him that ! ” 

“ I most certainly did. I told him Walter needed 
some things that Dan had — * — ” 

“What, for example?” 

“ Oh, Walter doesn’t work, he’s too easily turned 
aside, he gives up when he ought to hang on, he is 
vain as a peacock, and he hasn’t the remotest idea 
of the existence of anyone besides himself on this 
planet.” 

“ You didn’t say that about your own boy ! ” 

“ Not in those words, but Dan knew what I meant. 
Then I told him that he could help Walter, and I 
felt that if he should get my boy into a steadier way 
of working I’d be glad to pay him a good deal more 
than the amount his year at the Tait School will 
cost me. I put it so strongly that at last Dan agreed 
to try it a year. If I should not be satisfied then he 
is to leave the school and call off the bargain and he 
even suggested that he would pay back what I might 
have advanced — * — ” 

“ He couldn’t pay it. He hasn’t any money.” 

“ Not just now. He’ll have plenty later. Like- 
wise, he struck out fifteen men in the Benson 
game ! ” Mr. Borden added laughingly as he arose. 
“ Oh, it’s Walter’s chance as well as Dan’s, but I 
don’t want you to tell Walter what I have just now 
told you. It might spoil my plan.” 

“ I think Walter is a good boy. I can’t under- 
stand you when you find so much fault with your 
own flesh and blood.” 


‘Page 120 


^Uhe Pennant 


“ Mother,” said Mr. Borden softly, “ sometimes it 
costs one more to be true than it does to say or 
do pleasing things. Ever think of that ? ” 

“Of course I have, but I don’t see what that has 
to do with Walter.” 

“ Trust me — you will see it and more clearly than 
I do now.” 

Meanwhile Walter had gone to Dan’s home, and 
as he entered the yard he saw his friend just coming 
out of the barn. He was carrying a pail of milk in 
each hand and his appearance, dressed as he was in 
his overalls and without any hat, for the first time 
impressed his friend with a vague sense of unfitness. 
What would Sinclair Bradley (called “ Sin ” by his 
fellows for more reasons than one) say if he should 
see Walter’s new roommate in his present garb? 
Walter vaguely thought also of the remarks which 
others of his classmates might make, but his feeling 
of vague uneasiness speedily departed as he ran 
forward to greet Dan. The thought of fifteen 
strike-outs was vastly stronger at the moment than 
that of the remarks of his friends over Dan’s some- 
what uncouth appearance. 

“ Hello, Dan ! ” called Walter lightly as he ap- 
proached. “I’ve heard the good news! You’re 
going to the Tait School with me this fall.” 

“Yes,” responded Dan quietly. 

“ Why don’t you get excited, Dan ? ” Walter de- 
manded as he walked beside his friend toward the 
milk-room, which was an addition to the old farm- 


*£ 7 he ‘Pennant 


Page 121 


house, built of stone and provided with ice which 
Dan and his brother cut every winter from the mill- 
pond not far away. 

“ Perhaps I am, more than you think,” replied 
Dan. 

“ That’s all right. You’re as cool when you face 
the prospect of rooming with me as you are when 
you face the heaviest hitter on the other nine and 
have three men on bases.” 

“ Am I ? ” Dan spoke quietly, and Walter, in 
his own feeling of elation, perhaps failed to look 
beneath the surface. 

“ Yes. You wouldn’t be, if you knew what you 
are going into.” 

“ I guess you’re right,” said Dan soberly. 

“Of course I am!” exclaimed Walter, enthu- 
siastic once more in the company of his friend. 
“ You’ll like the fellows immensely. Right across 
the hall from us will be Owen Pease and Sin Brad- 
ley’s room. You’ll like both of them. Owen plays 
in the field on the nine. He’s about ten feet long 
and two inches wide.” 

“ I should think he’d go with Barnum. I never 
saw a man built on that plan.” 

“Oh, well, I’ve put it a little strong,” laughed 
Walter. “ But he’s length without breadth or thick- 
ness. Honestly, Dan, he’s the thinnest person you 
ever saw.” 

“ But I never saw him.” 

“You will, soon. Thinner than anyone I ever 


"Page 122 


'Uhe ‘Pennanl 


saw then; put it that way if you want to. When we 
were playing the Colt nine this spring Owen was 
scared, at least he said he was, to face the pitcher. 
He did throw a wicked ball, Dan, there’s no mis- 
take about that. I felt a little nervous myself when 
I faced him. But Owen made such a time over it 
and said he was afraid of being hit that Sin took 
a bat and stuck it up on the ground right in front 
of Owen and said, ‘Here, old man, you just hide 
behind that and you’ll be safe.’ ” 

“ Did he get all his ten feet behind one bat ? ” 

“ He might as far as his thickness was concerned. 
Owen is the thinnest chap I ever saw, just as I told 
you, but he’s made of wire and steel.” 

“ Who is this ‘ Sin ’ you speak of ? ” 

“ Sin Bradley.” 

“ Why do you call him ‘ Sin ’ ? ” 

“ His full name is Sinclair,” laughed Walter, “ but 
I guess the name fits him all right just as it is. You 
never saw such a fellow in all your life, Dan. He’s 
up to more tricks than you can dream of. One day 
there was a fellow on the campus who was begging, 

pretending he was a deaf-mute ” 

“ How do you know he was ‘ pretending ’ ? ” 

“ That’s what I’m telling you. Sin saw through 
his game before the beggar could get a chance. He 
just walked up to him and jumped on his toes. I’m 
telling you, Dan, that he wasn’t ‘ mute ’ for a spell 
there. He called Sin all kinds of names in about a 
thousand different languages.” 


'Che ‘Pennant 


•Page 123 


“ He must have been pretty well educated to use 
as many different languages as that.” 

“ Oh, well, probably it wasn’t quite a thousand,” 
laughed Walter. “ But the air was full of owskis 
and oskis there for about five minutes.” 

“ What did Sin do?” 

“ He went up to the beggar, sober as a judge, 
and begged his pardon. He told him how deeply 
he regretted the ‘ accident ’ and then said, ‘ I feel 
worse about it because you are deaf and dumb. 
How long have you had this trouble ? ’ 

“ 4 More as dree year,’ muttered the fellow, caught 
off his guard. You ought to have heard the fel- 
lows yell.” 

“ What did the deaf-and-dumb man do?” 

“ Started for some vast wilderness, I guess. We 
heard about him afterward, though. He got on a 
street-car in the city the next day and he still had 
his big card placard on, ‘ Please help a poor man 
who is deaf and dumb.’ There were some good 
people on the car and one of them suggested that 
they chip in and help the fellow. This man was a 
minister and he said it was a great pity that one 
who was so young should suffer from such a terrible 
affliction. The deaf-mute kept mum, pretending 
that he didn’t hear any of the talk, but just before 
they turned the money over to him a big fat man 
got on the car and when it started it threw him 
against the beggar and he brought one of his big 
feet down hard on the mute’s left foot. ‘ Ouch ! ’ 


-Page 124 


Uhe “Pennant 


yelled the beggar. ‘ You old fat porcupine ; can’t 
you look where you’re going ? ’ ” 

“ What happened to the poor fellow then ? ” in- 
quired Dan with a smile. 

“ Oh, the good people hurried him off to the 
police court. Sin said he would have walked a 
thousand miles just to see the fellow when he was 
brought up before the magistrate.” 

“ How far ? ” said Dan quizzically. 

“ You’re too literal, Dan,” laughed Walter. 

“ Tell me about the teachers,” said Dan after he 
and his friend had joined Mrs. Richards and Tom 
on the piazza. 

“ Oh, they are the finest ever ! ” declared Walter. 
“ Of course they try to make you ‘ grind ’ ” 

“ Grind what?” inquired Mrs. Richards. 

“ Oh, grind at your books,” said Walter lightly. 
“ Some of them are all right, though. There’s young 
Samson for example ” 

“ Is that his real name?” asked Tom. 

“ It is among the fellows. On the catalogue his 
name is Richard Lee Thomas, I believe. He was 
captain of the football team at college two years 
ago. He’s the strongest fellow you ever set eyes 
on.” 

“What does he teach?” inquired Mrs. Richards. 

“ He coaches mostly, though he has charge of the 
gym work too.” 

“ I don’t understand,” said Mrs. Richards simply. 

“ He looks after the teams and the ‘ physical wel- 


‘TZhe ‘Pennant 


"Page 125 


fare of the pupils/ the catalogue says. Then there’s 
Kaiser; he has charge of the German and French. 
He’s a fine old boy. Soc too is good.” 

“ Soc? ’’ asked Dan. 

“ Short for Socrates,” explained Walter. “ He 
has the Latin and Greek. His real name is Jones, 
but the fellows all call him ‘ Soc ’ for short. ‘ Trig ’ 
has the mathematics. His name, I suppose, is 
Ephraim Jeremiah Paine, but the fellows had pity 
for him and changed his name to ‘ Trig.’ Oh, 
they’re all fine old boys. You’ll have the time of 
your young life, Dan ! ” 


<Page 126 


he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XIII 

ENTERING SCHOOL 

T HE summer days passed rapidly and Walter 
spent many of them in the company of Dan. 
One day while they were fishing on Six Town Pond 
the great snake was seen again and after a struggle 
was killed, though just why either of the boys 
wanted to kill the harmless reptile neither could 
have explained. “He had no business to be born 
a snake if he wanted to stay here,” Dan said with 
cheerful assurance and as if his explanation was 
sufficient. 

There were days when the fishing was excellent 
and other times when the efforts of the boys appar- 
ently were without avail in tempting the pickerel 
which hid among the weeds and refused to leave 
their shelter. 

The return game with the Benson nine provided 
another day of interest and Walter greatly enjoyed 
the experience. Rodman and Benson both made a 
gala day of the occasion, and when Walter rode 
with the Rodman nine in the huge band-wagon 
which the Rodman Cornet Band kindly lent the de- 
fenders of the local name, he was deeply interested 
in the long line of vehicles which followed the 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 127 


heroes on their way to the rival village, absorbing 
dust and loyalty all the way. 

The game itself was more or less of a repetition 
of the preceding game. Dan’s cunning did not fail 
him, and exactly the same number of hitters fell 
victims to his curves as had struck out in the former 
game. Walter’s father had been in town on the 
great day and, at his boy’s eager request, had ridden 
in his automobile to the scene of the contest. He 
was quizzically warm in his words of praise after 
the game, for Walter had played a better game than 
in the previous match, but it was his boy’s enthu- 
siasm over the youthful pitcher’s “ great work ” that 
called forth Mr. Borden’s deeper interest. Upon 
his invitation both Walter and Dan rode with him 
back to Rodman. Silas, the harness-maker, upon 
Mr. Borden’s suggestion also occupied a seat in the 
car, and his continued praises caused Mr. Borden 
to enjoy his presence. 

“ I’m tellin’ ye,” roared Silas, “ that Dan ought 
to have the New Yorks up here for one game any- 
way. That boy is a credit to Rodman an’ every- 
body what lives here! He can pitch th’ legs off a 
brass monkey ! I never see such a ball-player.” 

“ He plays a very good game,” remarked Mr. 
Borden smiling pleasantly at Dan as he spoke. 
“ Aren’t you afraid, Silas, that you’ll spoil him 
with your flattering words ? ” 

“Not a bit! Ye can’t spoil Dan. I hear ye’re 
goin’ off t’ school with this Borden boy, Dan.” 


‘Page 128 


c £>he. Pennant 


“ Yes,” said Dan quietly. 

“ Well, education’s a great thing. I wish I had 
some o’ it.” 

“ You have,” remarked Mr. Borden. 

“Who? You mean me? I may be a fool ’bout 
some things, but I guess I ain’t such a fool as t’ 
not know that I don’t know nothin’.” 

“ One of the wisest men that ever lived once 
said that he thought the men who didn’t know and 
knew enough to know that they didn’t know were 
very wise.” 

“ Shucks ! ” sniffed Silas, his round freckled face 
nevertheless betraying his deep pleasure. “ I guess 
I c’n make a harness that can stan’ the strain o’ five 
ton, but when ye’ve said that ye’ve said th’ whole 
thing. Now, here’s Walter. Th’ other day I see in 
th’ Rodman “ Reflector ” some newfangled words. 
If I rec’lect aright they was 4 sick transum glory 
Monday ’ ” 

“Sic transit gloria mundi” interrupted Walter 
laughingly. 

“ That’s jes’ exackly what I said,” declared Silas. 
“ I didn’t know no more what they mean than ’s if 
they been words that Julius Caesar spoke.” 

“ Perhaps he did,” said Walter. “ They are Latin 
words.” 

“Ye don’t tell me. Well, Mr. Borden, I couldn’t 
make head nor tail t’ ’em. A ‘ sick transum ’ an’ 
‘ Monday ’ was all th’ sense there was. But that 
boy o’ yourn he come ’long an’, sir, he read ’em jes’ 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 129 


’s easy ’s if he was failin’ off a log. Yes, sir. Now, 
ye see, he had th’ education and I had none.” 

“What did Walter say the words meant?” in- 
quired Mr. Borden dryly. 

“ I disremember, but it was something ’bout 
glory.” 

“ Do you think Walter or Dan could mend a 
horse-collar ? ” 

“ Dan might ; I’m not so sure o’ your boy, that is, 
jes’ at th’ present time. Course he could learn.” 

“ Then he’d be better educated after he had 
learned.” 

“ Sewin’ horse-collars isn’t education ! ” sniffed 
Silas. 

“ I think it is or may be.” 

“ How d’ye make that out ? I never went t’ school 
much. I c’n make out th’ scores in th’ Rodman 
“ Reflector ” an’ I c’n chalk up th’ charge for fixin’ 
Deacon Stillman’s horse-collar, but I never went t’ 
school none whatever.’ 

“ Going to school does not necessarily mean ob- 
taining an education.” 

“ Go on ! I guess ye’re tryin’ t’ stuff me.” 

“ Suppose a boy should go to school and not 
learn?” 

“ His teachers will give him th’ learnin’.” 

“ Unfortunately that is one of the things no 
teacher can give — at least he can’t give it unless a 
boy takes it.” 

“ I guess th’ may be somethin’ in that, same’s ye 

i 


‘Page 130 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


c’n lead a hoss up t’ th’ water but if he takes a 
notion he won’t drink, then th’ whole o’ jumpin’ 
creation can’t make him swallow a cupful.” 

“ Precisely. And a boy can be sent to the best 
school, but if he won’t learn there’s no education or 
power for him. I used to know some of the boys 
when I was in school who thought they were getting 
the better of their teachers when they cheated in 
exams, or dodged a lesson. The foolish fellows! 
They didn’t know enough to know that they them- 
selves were the only ones that were cheated. A 
school or college is a place where a boy learns, or 
rather can learn if he tries, how to use his brains. 
If he doesn’t do the work then he doesn’t learn — 
at least he doesn’t learn there.” 

Walter was somewhat uncomfortable at the turn 
the conversation had taken and interrupting, he said 
to Silas, “ Don’t you think Dan will make a good 
pitcher for the Tait School nine? ” 

“‘Good?’” retorted Silas instantly diverted. 
“ ‘ Good? ’ There’s none better. If th’ New Yorks 
onct got a chance t’ see him w r ork then ’twould be 
good-day for your school. I’m told that some o’ 
them players get as much as ten dollars a game. 
D’ye s’pose that can be true ? ” 

Walter laughed as he said, “ Silas, some of them 
get four or five times as much as that.” 

“ Well, Dan’ll get it then.” 

“ I believe he will do well whatever he tries to 
do,” said Mr. Borden quietly. 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


• Page 131 


“ Ye’re right he will. I charged Tim Long two 
shillin’ for fixin’ his tugs this mornin’ an’ it took 
me ’most two hours. If I had Dan’s chance I’d be 
makin’ four times that, I guess.” 

Dan, who had been the subject of much of the 
conversation on the way back to Rodman, seldom 
spoke. There was an air of seriousness about the 
thoughtful boy that was marked. Mr. Borden oc- 
casionally glanced at him, and there was always a 
quiet smile of approval whenever he did so. What- 
ever Walter’s hopes and plans for his friend were, 
it was manifest that his father also had thoughts of 
his own, though he did not once refer to them in 
the presence of his boy. 

At last the day arrived when Walter was to de- 
part from Rodman. In two weeks the Tait School 
was to reopen and there were many things to be 
done in the city before he went. 

Before the family left for home, Mrs. Borden was 
seated one evening on the piazza alone with her hus- 
band and broached a subject which had long been in 
her mind. “ Don’t you think it would be a good 
thing to take Dan back home with us for a few 

days before he enters school? You know he ” 

As Mrs. Borden hesitated a moment her hus- 
band said, “ You mean to teach him a few things? ” 
“ Yes, that’s just what I mean. You know Dan 
has not been accustomed to some things that Wal- 
ter has.” 


‘Page 132 


'Tjhe Pennant 


“ Yes, I know. What, for example? ” 

“ Well, he hasn’t had any training, at least such 
as Walter has had, in his table manners. Of course 

his mother is a good woman, but ” 

“He doesn’t use his knife and fork properly?” 
“ Yes, though that’s only one thing.” 

“What else?” 

“ He needs some clothes.” 

“ What’s the matter with those he wears ? ” 

“ You know what I mean.” 

“ They aren’t cut like Walter’s? ” 

“ That’s it. If I do say it, Walter always wears 
his clothes well.” 

“ They ought to wear well. They cost me enough. 

His bill at the tailor’s this spring ” 

“ I am not talking about the quality of his cloth- 
ing." 

“ Oh.” 

“ You know perfectly well what I mean.” 

“ Perhaps I do. You’re a little afraid that when 
Dan finds himself among a lot of boys who have 
been brought up in wealthy homes and who have 
doting mothers and perhaps very foolish fathers 
that he will mortify Walter by some of the things 
he does. I think I understand you.” 

“ I’m thinking of Dan just as much or more than 
I am of Walter,” protested Mrs. Borden. “ He will 
be mortified by some things he’ll do for which he is 
not at all to blame.” 

“ Whose fault will it be ? ” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


"Page 133 


“ Why — I should say not of anyone exactly. It 
is just that he’ll have to meet new conditions, that’s 
all. I am sure I haven’t any foolish pride. I don’t 
want Dan to suffer too much just because he doesn’t 
understand some things.” 

“ How much do you want him to suffer ? You 
say you don’t want him to suffer too much. Where 
do you draw the line ? ” 

“ I can quietly save him a good deal.” 

“Of course you can.” 

“ Do you agree to his going home with us ? ” 

“ Personally I like Dan. I should be glad to have 
him come home with us and I am sure he would 
pick up and use a good many of the very useful 
lessons you would teach him in your own quiet way. 
But I’m afraid it can’t be done just now. We can 
arrange for him to come in some vacation.” 

“ That will be too late I’m afraid. Why can’t he 
come now ? ” 

“ The work on the farm for one thing. He will 
want to do all he can to help Tom with the fall 
work before he leaves.” 

“ You might hire a helper for Tom.” 

“ Yes, I might, but for Dan’s sake I don’t want 
to. Dan must not think he is to do any less for 
his brother. Then too, Dan will not be slow in 
finding out what he ought to do in the school. He 
has eyes as well as brains. He has something better 
than either eyes or brains too.” 

“What is that?” 


Vage 134 


^ he Pennant 


“ Character. He won’t say ‘ no ’ and then wobble. 
He knows just what the two little Saxon words 
‘ yes ’ and ‘ no ’ mean. I wish Walter did too, and 
it is the hope that Dan will help teach him that more 
than anything else that is making me send him to 
the Tait School. I’m glad to have him room with 
Walter.” 

“ You don’t think he is a brighter boy than Wal- 
ter, do you ? ” 

“ No, but he has learned some things that Walter 
doesn’t know, and if he doesn’t learn them soon he 
never will. No, mother, I honestly believe it will 
be better for Walter to let Dan go straight to the 
school. If he meets the new conditions, as I be- 
lieve he will, the effect on our boy will be all the 
better.” 

“I don’t see; but if you think it is better for 
Walter, then I’m sure I’ll not say another word. I 
was thinking it would be a little easier perhaps for 
both of them if I had Dan home with me a few 
days.” 

“ It would be easier, but perhaps not better.” 

Two weeks later Dan arrived at the Tait School. 
Walter already had been on the ground two days, 
and when his friend at last was directed to the room 
he was to occupy, he came with a heavy canvas bag 
in his hand and found himself face to face with 
Walter and another boy, who was introduced to 
him as Sin Bradley. 


^he Pennant 


Page 135 


CHAPTER XIV 

NEW ACQUAINTANCES 

H ELLO — O— O, Dan ! ” Walter had exclaimed 
as he first caught sight of his friend in the 
doorway. “ Come right in ! I’m mighty glad to see 
you ! ” The impulsive Walter had leaped from the 
chair in which he was seated and darting to the door 
seized Dan by the hand, then grasped his canvas bag 
which he hurriedly took into the little bedroom 
which Dan was to occupy. Turning quickly about 
he said to Sinclair : “ Sin, this is the new fellow I 
was telling you about. Stand up and do yourself 
proud to shake hands with Dan Richards. He’s 
going to be the new pitcher on the Tait School nine 
and he’ll make our opponents work some ! ” 

“ Pleased to meet you,” said Sin drawlingly, as 
he shook hands with the new boy. The contrast 
between the two for the first time struck Walter 
almost with the force of a blow : one easy and self- 
possessed in his manner, dressed in the latest 
fashion, and having the confidence that is the result 
of the possession of wealth and all that money im- 
plies; the other quiet, but still somewhat self-con- 
scious. His clothing manifestly was not made by a 
fashionable tailor, and his face and hands showed 


Page 136 


4 Uhe Pennant 


the effect of his toil in the fields. For a moment 
Walter almost felt as if Dan must be painfully 
aware of his own deficiencies. But if the new- 
comer was abashed in the presence of Sinclair Brad- 
ley, his manner at least failed to betray it. 

“ I was late,” said Dan simply as he responded 
to Sin’s greeting, and then in response to Walter’s 
suggestion seated himself in one of the large easy 
chairs in the room. “ I guess I’m not very much 
of a traveler, for I stood still in the depot at Lee 
Junction and let my train pull out and leave me.” 

“ You’ll learn,” laughed Walter a trifle noisily. 
“ How long did you have to wait ? ” 

“ Two hours.” 

“ That’s too bad. You’ll know better next time.” 

“ How did you leave all the old folks at home ? ” 
asked Sin with a drawl. 

“ They were well when I left,” replied Dan 
quietly. 

“ Good. How is Silas?” 

“ Silas who?” 

“ I don’t know the particular individual. Just 
Silas, I fancy.” 

“ Silas, the harness-maker, is in good health.” 

“ How are the crops ? ” 

“ Pretty fair.” 

“ Do you raise much hay ? ” 

“ Not a great deal.” 

“ What do you do with the hay-seed ? ” 

“ We don’t raise any.” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


• Page 137 


“Is that so? I fancied you did. Don’t all 
farmers raise hay-seed ? ” 

“ No,” replied Dan quietly, looking calmly at Sin 
as he spoke. 

“ I confess my ignorance. You must forgive 
me.” 

Dan glanced at Walter as if he was somehow 
puzzled, but his dark eyes and bronzed face did not 
change their expression. “If you don’t get into the 
country very often of course you have forgotten 
some things,” he said to Sinclair. “ I remember 
only last summer there was a family that came to 
Rodman to spend a few days. I didn’t know them, 
but it seems their father was raised in our town ; he 
went down to the city and made a lot of money. 
This man Silas you asked me about knew them all, 
though, and he explained everything to them, told 
them how he had helped take their grandfather to 
the town poorhouse and got up a donation party 
for the children. He described the first mule their 
father bought — for it seems he made his first money 
as a horse-trader before he began to buy hogs.” 

“No wonder they forgot,” said Sinclair a little 
foolishly as he arose. “ So long, Walter,” he added 
lightly. “ I’ll see you again,” he said to Dan and 
at once departed from the room. 

“ You were enough for him, Dan,” laughed Wal- 
ter. 

“ ‘ Enough for him ’ ? I don’t know that I under- 
stand.” 


‘Page 138 


‘Che Pennant 


“ Yes, you do.” 

“ Walter, what does this fellow Sinclair’s father 
do for a living ? ” 

“ I understand that he is a brewer,” replied 
Walter a trifle uneasily. 

“Is he?” 

“So I hear. Why?” 

“ Oh, nothing in particular. How shall I get my 
trunk up here ? Can I borrow a wheelbarrow some- 
where about the school ? ” 

“ Not on your life ! ” 

“ I don’t know what you mean.” 

“ The expressman will bring it up for you. Didn’t 
you give your trunk check to the man at the sta- 
tion ? ” 

“What man? There were a good many men 
there.” 

“ The expressman.” 

“ I didn’t see any. I can bring it up myself.” 

“ Let me have your check,” said Walter harshly. 
Dan handed his roommate his baggage check and as 
he did so two boys noisily entered the room and 
greeted Walter with a shout. “ Hello, old man ! ” 
exclaimed one of them as he seized Walter’s hand 
and shook it. The other followed his companion’s 
example, Dan meanwhile quietly observing the two 
boys and feeling drawn at once to the one who had 
first greeted his roommate. Even before he was in- 
troduced Dan became aware that the boy was 
known as “ Priz,” though what the name implied 


c C’/je ‘Pennant 


Vage 139 


he did not know. The boy was a sturdy fellow, 
manifestly possessed of great physical strength, and 
his actions were so quick that they were almost 
catlike. The other boy was tall and slender and 
much more refined in his bearing. His name, or at 
least his nickname, Dan learned was “ Chesty,” 
though why such a slender delicate fellow should 
receive such a cognomen he could not at the time 
conjecture. 

“ This is my new roommate,” said Walter after 
a brief delay, as he presented Dan. “ ‘ Priz ’ is the 
name that Ned Davis goes by,” he explained with a 
laugh. “ You want to keep on good terms with 
him.” 

“ I am sure I want to,” said Dan with a smile. 

“ He’s the best boxer in the Tait School,” Walter 
explained. “ * Priz ’ is short for prize — prize-fighter, 
if you want the whole thing. We call him that for 
short. Priz,” he added, “ I guess you’ll have more 
to do with Dan than any of the rest of us. Dan’s 
the fellow I wrote you about this summer — striking 
out fifteen men, you know.” 

“ Is that so? Well, I’m one of the catchers of 
the nine here and I guess you and I will come to 
see a good deal of each other. I hope so, anyway. 
I’m mighty glad you came here. It’s the best school 
in the country.” 

Dan quietly acknowledged the cordial greeting 
and at once felt that he would like Ned Davis, for 
the boy was genuinely cordial and his interest in 


‘Page 140 


e Che ‘Pennant 


the possibility of a new “ find ” for the pitcher’s box 
was genuine. 

“ Chesty is short for Lord Chesterfield,” Walter 
continued as he laughingly turned to the other new- 
comer. “ In the catalogue his name appears as 
Frank Harwood Hoblit, Jr., but that’s too much of a 
mouthful, so we cut it short to ‘ Chesty.’ If you 
ever want to know what color your necktie ought 
to be to match your socks, or what the proper atti- 
tude is when you are addressing the President of 
the United States, why Chesty is the boy to give 
you points. He is up on all the fine points of 
etiquette. He is little Lord Chesterfield, just called 
‘ Chesty ’ for short.” 

“ We’re not quite so bad as Walter makes us 
out,” laughed Ned. “ I never was in a fight in my 
life ” 

“ All the same you want to be good to him,” 
broke in Walter. “ He’s the kind of a chap you let 
have the whole sidewalk and never say a word to if 
you happen to meet him some dark night.” 

“ He’s never out at night,” said Frank. “ You 
never saw such a fellow to sleep. He’s usually in 
bed before the warning bell rings. I’ve thought 
sometimes I might just as well be rooming with a 
mummy as with him.” 

“ I have had the same feeling,” retorted Ned, 
“ only I spelled my 4 mummy ’ with a ‘ d.’ ” 

“You’re lucky to be able to spell it any way,” 
declared Frank. “ He wrote me this summer, and 


^he Pennant 


' Page 141 


what do you think? He had the nerve to spell my 
middle name Hardwood.” 

“ I was thinking of Soc’s efforts in your behalf,” 
laughed Ned. 

“ Are all the fellows back ? ” he added turning to 
Walter. “ Chesty and I just came in and we made 
a bee-line for your room. Seems like away back in 
the Dark Ages since we parted. What have you 
been doing all summer ? ” 

“ I've been up at Rodman most of the time, on my 
grandfather’s farm,” replied Walter. 

“ Buried alive?” 

“ No, sir; not buried alive. Dan and I fished and 
played ball — that’s how I made my find. Dan is 
the best pitcher for a fellow of his age I ever saw. 
Moulton has been training him all summer ” 

“What Moulton?” interrupted Ned quickly. 

“ Moulton of Princeton,” said Walter, trying to 
speak unconcernedly. “ He says Dan is the most 
promising young pitcher he has found.” 

Plainly impressed by what Walter said, Ned 
looked at Dan with renewed interest. He noted 
the long arm, the wiry form, the evident power and 
endurance, and his enthusiasm at once was aroused. 
“ I’m glad you’re here, Dan,” he said simply. “Of 
course there isn’t much baseball in the fall — every- 
thing goes to football then. But we have some 
interform games; they’re mostly to keep up the 
spirit of the thing and try out the new fellows. 
We’ll give you a chance to show your mettle ” 


“Page 142 


Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Fm wondering if I shall have any time for 
baseball,” said Dan simply. “ I’ll probably have 
to work so hard at my books to keep up with 
you ” 

“You won’t have to work very hard to keep up 
with Chesty,” broke in Ned with a laugh. “ It’s 
nip and tuck between him and Walter here, and 
me, to see who’ll lead the class if you turn it wrong 
end to. And yet I’m improving some,” declared 
Ned. “ I was down on the shore of Long Island 
this summer and took to riding a wheel. One day 
I was coasting down a small hill and coming at a 
pretty good clip, when my wheel struck a pocket of 
sand and I took a header before I could say Jack 
Robinson. A gentle, antique, old farmer and his boy 
happened to be passing in a farm-wagon at the 
time, and they both got off to see if I was hurt. 
‘ Hurt ye much ? ’ the old man asked me. When I 
told him I was all right he wanted to know how 
it happened, and with my exam in physics fresh in 
my mind I told him. I said, ‘ When I came down 
that incline and my front cylindrical means of pro- 
pulsion struck that pocket of disintegrated igneous 
rock my velocity was such that I lost my center of 
gravity and was precipitated upon the hard road of 
asphalt.’ ” 

“ What did the old boy say? ” laughed Walter. 

“ ‘ Say ’ ! For a moment that ancient and anti- 
quated tiller of the soil was speechless. He hadn’t 
expected to hear such nice words as I gave him. 


‘‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 143 


Finally the old chap turned to his boy and gently 
remarked, ‘ Come on, bub, I guess th’ fellow is one 
o’ them tarnal foreign chaps what can’t talk United 
States/ ” 

“ You ought not to excoriate the venerable hus- 
bandman after your providential escape,” said 
F rank. 

“ Now, I wasn’t excoriating him. I’m no canni- 
bal ! ” declared Ned. 

“ What has a cannibal to do with it ? ” 

“ Don’t you know what a cannibal is ? ” 

“ I sure do. He is a chap that devours another.” 

“ Course he is. Well, if a fellow bites another 
fellow’s back — a sort of backbiter, so to speak — 
I’d like to know if he doesn’t at least belong to 
the cannibal tribe, though I confess I don’t know 
whether they begin their shocking repast at the 
back or not.” 

“ You are brilliant to-day, Ned,” laughed Walter. 
“ How do you account for it ? ” 

“ I don’t account for it. Maybe I sharpened my 
wits up a bit this summer with all my 4 wading.’ ” 

“ Wading? ” 

“That’s what I said, didn’t I? Wading! W-a- 
d-ing! No, hold on, that isn’t the way to spell it. 
W -a-d-d-ing ! That’s right, isn’t it ? ” 

“ Depends on whether you mean wading or wad- 
ding.” 

“ I mean wading, all right. I waded all summer 
long ” 


Page 144 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“Get wet?” 

“Not a drop.” 

“ How is that? ” 

“ I was wading with the accompaniment of a 
tutor through some of the dryest books a man ever 
tackled.” 

“ You’re the same old Ned,” laughed Walter. 

“ I’m afraid that’s the worst of it,” said Ned 
somewhat ruefully. “ Dan,” he added abruptly, 
turning to the new boy, “ when will you come down 
to the diamond and give your mighty right arm 
a chance to show what it can do ? ” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


* Page J45 


CHAPTER XV 

Walter's suggestions 

I 'LL come any time you say," replied Dan. 

“ All right," said Ned cheerily. “ We’ll fix 
it up in a day or two. We ought to start right in 
on our inter-form games and find out what material 
we can count oh for the spring." 

Several other boys dropped in and the two vis- 
itors departed. There were continued greetings 
among the noisy, light-hearted boys, and in spite 
of the fact that the work of the new year was about 
to begin it was manifest that most of them were 
glad to be back in school once more. 

To Dan the entire scene was so filled with novelty 
that he was an interested spectator, taking but little 
part in the conversations that occurred whenever the 
boys came to his room or hailed one another on 
the campus. In the dining-hall, which was in a 
large central building to which all the boys and 
many of the teachers came for their meals, his in- 
terest became still more marked, for here for the 
first time he saw the boys who were to be his leaders 
in his new life. It was dusk when the boys filed out 
of the dining-hall, and Dan dropped behind his 
roommate to walk with Ned. 

K 


‘Page 146 


Ijhe Pennant 


44 I’m glad you came with Walter/’ Ned was say- 
ing. “ We’re in great need of a new pitcher. 4 Red ’ 
Chandler finished his work here this spring and 
has gone up to Harvard. He’ll make the college 
nine first thing, you see if he doesn’t. He’s a born 
ball-player and he had the finest assortment of 
curves that the Tait School ever saw. He pitched 
a one-hit game against the Yale freshman team in 
June. Never made a hit, never got a ball outside 
the diamond until the ninth inning, and that was a 
scratch. The third-baseman of the freshman team 
let the ball hit his bat. I don’t believe he ever 
struck at it at all. If you can come anywhere near 
4 Red ’ you can own the whole school.” 

Dan listened as Ned rattled on in his noisy boyish 
way, but he seldom replied except to certain direct 
questions. 

44 Can you pitch a drop? ” Ned asked. 

44 Moulton said I could.” 

44 Good. He ought to know. Red had a 4 jump ’ 
that was simply fierce. We always saved it for the 
third strike. And the beauty of it all was that I 
did not have to signal for it, so the other fellows 
never caught on. No signal just meant the 4 jump.’ 
You see, I had caught Red two years and we became 
almost like a machine.” 

44 The boys ” — Dan started to say fellows but cor- 
rected himself — 44 must be sorry to lose him.” 

44 They are. Last summer when we shut up shop 
we all felt as if we had lost our best friend when 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 147 


Red left us. He certainly was a wonder! But if 
you can measure up to him or come anywhere near, 
you’ll wear diamonds here till you graduate — and 
forever after, for that matter.” 

“ And if I don’t?” 

“ Why — you’ll be all right. Sometimes you know 
a fellow gets a name for doing wonders in the place 
he comes from, but he finds out after he has been 
here a spell that — well, that the conditions aren’t 
just exactly the same. See, don’t you? ” 

“ Yes,” said Dan quietly. 

“ It’s just this way — you’ve got nothing to lose 

and everything to gain. If you can make good ” 

“ I’m afraid Walter has talked me up more than I 
deserve,” broke in Dan. “ He’s a good friend — — ” 
“ How long have you known him ? ” 

“ Ever since we were little fellows. He has been 
spending his summers on his grandfather’s farm, 
and our farm was close by, so Walter and I natu- 
rally were together a good deal. This summer he 
hired me to take him fishing.” 

Ned’s keen glance of surprise was not lost upon 
his companion, but as he did not speak Dan too be- 
came silent as the two boys followed Walter and 
Chesty, who were not far in advance. In the silence 
suddenly the words of the latter to Walter became 
plain to Dan and Ned. “ Where did you pick up 
your bucolic?” Chesty was saying. 

“ Picked him up in the hayfield,” Walter laugh- 
ingly replied. 


‘Page 148 


%he ‘Pennant 


“ His hair is full of hayseed.” 

“ Well, what of it?” 

“Oh, nothing. If that is the sort of thing you 
like, then you like just the sort of thing you’ve got, 
that’s all.” 

“ He can pitch like a fiend.” 

“What of it?” 

“ He’ll own the whole school pretty soon if he can 
measure up to Red Chandler ! ” 

“ Red Chandler ! ” retorted Chesty scornfully. 
“ He was just another such fellow as your friend 
from the hayfield. He didn’t know how to act like 
a gentleman. He was just a great, rough ” 

“ He’s the best pitcher the Tait School nine ever 
had!” 

“ What of that ? He used to say, ‘ I done it.’ He 
never had a suit of clothes that fitted him. He was 
not and never could be a gentleman.” 

It was too dark to permit Ned to see Dan’s 
face and yet he was aware that his companion must 
have heard Chesty’s words. Impulsively he turned 
to Dan and said, “ Don’t pay any attention to what 
that Chesty has been saying. He doesn’t know any- 
thing except what a tailor can tell him. He doesn’t 
know what he is here for. He thinks his money can 
buy anything. You don’t mind his chaff, do you?” 

“ I haven’t had much time to find out yet,” re- 
plied Dan quietly. 

“ Well, don’t you mind it ! I’ll tell Chesty what I 
think of him.” 


he ‘Pennant 


<Page 149 


“ No, don’t say a word. Don’t let him know that 
we heard what he said. I don’t want Whiter to 
know.” 

“ Just as you say,” said Ned lightly. “ If I can ar- 
range with Samson I’ll get the fellows out for a little 
baseball to-morrow. You aren’t going in for foot- 
ball are you ? ” 

“ I don’t expect to.” 

“ Good ! Of course football is all the rage in the 
fall. It’s a good enough game, but give me base- 
ball every time.” 

“ I never saw a game of football.” 

“ How’s that?” laughed Ned lightly. “Where 
have you lived all these days ? ” Then as Dan did 
not reply he hastily added, as he recalled the sneer- 
ing words of Chesty, “ There’ll be time enough for 
all that. I just don’t want you to get switched off 
into football, that’s all. Of course we’ll have to 
wait till spring before we do much on the diamond. 
Football somehow has got the right of way in the 
fall, but we do a little trying out now, and that’s 
about all we can expect. I’ll let you know to-mor- 
row about the practice. Now don’t fail to show up. 
And just forget all about Chesty and his cheap 
talk.” 

Dan did not respond, but turned with Walter and 
went up the stairway to their room on the second 
floor. He did not betray by his manner that he had 
overheard the words of Chesty to Walter, and as 
the latter suggested that they should at once 


‘Page 150 


'Che 'Pennant 


arrange their belongings in their rooms he quietly 
agreed. Dan’s trunk, a somewhat crude and mani- 
festly antique affair, had been left outside the door 
and when Walter said, “ Here, Dan, I’ll give you a 
lift,” and at once took hold of one end of the trunk, 
Dan somehow felt that his roommate was more 
eager to get the trunk into a bedroom where it 
could not be seen than he was to help. Dan, with- 
out a word, helped carry the heavy trunk to the bed- 
room which had been assigned him and as soon as 
Walter started to unpack his own trunk he too 
began. 

There were three rooms in the suite, a bedroom 
for each boy and a sitting-room or study which both 
were to use. In spite of the simplicity and plain- 
ness of the furnishings — a condition duly empha- 
sized by the school catalogue — Dan’s feeling was 
that he was surrounded by luxury. Certainly every- 
thing was unlike the plainness of his own little 
home on the farm near Rodman. The thought in- 
creased Dan’s feeling of depression. He had a 
vision of his brother Tom, who by this time had 
ended his chores and doubtless was sitting with his 
mother on the piazza, talking with her over their 
loneliness. He fancied he almost could hear his 
mother in her calm way, which was deceptive to 
many by its very calmness, say to Tom that she was 
glad Dan had such a good opportunity to secure 
an education. He wondered what she would say 
if she knew his own feelings at the moment. The 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 15/ 


sneering remarks of Chesty had cut deep. Up to this 
time Dan had not been aware that his manners or 
dress were very different from those of others. 

Now that he had, for the first time in his life, been 
thrown into the midst of a crowd of boys of his 
own age, all of whom possessed, or at least seemed 
to possess, an indefinable something which he was 
aware was lacking in his own person, he felt 
strongly that something was wrong. Ned had been 
cordial, but his keen interest in the possibility of the 
nine securing a good pitcher doubtless accounted 
for that. Chesty had spoken frankly and without 
a suspicion that his words had been overheard. 
And Dan, in his quiet way, was suffering. His life 
had not been like that of the boys in the Tait School. 
He almost wished that he had not yielded to 
Mr. Borden’s persuasive words. At the normal 
school there were many who came from homes like 
his own. Several boys from Rodman had worked 
their way through that school. They had been 
waiters in the dining-room or cared for the grounds, 
served as aids to the janitor or had done various 
other humble duties by which they helped them- 
selves. 

Dan’s thoughts were busied with these things 
while he unpacked, until at last his trunk was empty 
and its contents bestowed where they belonged. 
One of the last things he had found in the trunk 
was a study gown upon which his mother had 
labored evenings after the tasks of the day were 


‘ Page 152 


c&he ‘Pennant 


done. The sight of it recalled her love and devo- 
tion so vividly that Dan threw aside his coat and 
donned the long odd garment before he responded 
to Walter’s call and came into the sitting-room. 

“ Got everything done, Dan?” said Walter 
cheerily. “Can I help you any? For the love of 
country, Dan,” Walter abruptly added as for the 
first time he noticed his roommate’s gown, “ where 
on earth did you find that thing? What is it? Did 
you use it to milk in ? ” 

“ It’s a study gown,” replied Dan, blushing 
slightly. 

“ Well, don’t study in it, Dan. If the fellows 
should see it they’d never stop guying you. It looks 
like a relic of the Stone age. Here, help me tack 
up this skin. Isn’t it a beauty?” Walter held up 
to view the skin of the huge snake which he and 
Dan had secured on Six Town Pond and Walter 
had had prepared by Silas the harness-maker. 

“ Isn’t that a beauty ! ” he again exclaimed enthu- 
siastically when the skin had been tacked to the 
wall. “ That’ll make the fellows stand up and open 
their eyes. I wonder what Chesty will say when he 
sees it? By the way, Dan, do you want me to give 
you a pointer ? ” 

“ Go ahead.” 

“ Why — well — you see the ways of the fellows 
here are not just exactly as they are in Rodman, 
you know.” 

“'Tes, I know.” • 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 153 


“ Well, you want to put your butter on the but- 
ter-plate and not on the rim of your serving-plate. 
You don’t mind my speaking of it, do you? You’ll 
pick these things up in a jiffy, but I thought — I 
didn’t know — but you’d like to have me tell you 
when I happened to see some little thing that is 

not just like — that’s a little different ” 

“ That’s all right, Walter. I know I’m not used 

to some things that you and Chesty ” 

“ Never mind Chesty,” broke in Walter a little 
uneasily as Dan believed. “ There are quantities of 
points you can give me — a good many more than I 
can give you. They’re only little pointers. I say, 
Dan, I’ve been talking you up with a lot of the 
fellows. They are expecting you to do something 
big to-morrow if we have the fellows out for prac- 
tice then. You won’t go back on me, will you, 
Dan?” 

“ I’m afraid you have talked too much.” 

“ Not a bit ! ” declared Walter confidently. “ You 
can do it! Just think you’ve got some of those 
Benson fellows facing you ! I tell you what, Dan ! 
If you make good the fellows will all be so glad 
that I made my ‘ find ’ this summer that they’ll 
make me captain of the nine next year.” 


<Page 154 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XVI 

A SCRUB GAME 

T HE following day proved to be rainy and the 
“ trying out ” of the prospective ball-players 
was consequently impossible. The day was filled, 
however, with novelty to Dan, who was assigned 
to the same class or form to which Walter belonged. 
This was as Mr. Borden had hoped and it may 
have been that a letter from him to the head 
master may have had something to do with his 
grading. 

In the Tait School there were seven buildings. 
Four of these were dormitories; two were superb 
buildings arranged for classroom work and con- 
taining a great hall in which at eleven o’clock every 
morning the students assembled for chapel; the 
remaining building was the refectory or dining- 
hall. Beyond the buildings was the great athletic 
field. The football and baseball fields were sur- 
rounded by a cinder track. Tennis-courts were 
numerous and the entire plant had been deeply im- 
pressive to Dan when Walter first had led him to 
the field. The sight of the covered grand stand and 
of the tiers of “ bleachers ” that extended along 
either side of the field also had moved the new boy 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 155 


strongly. The sight had suggested the scene which 
a game would present. Dan thought he could see 
the excited spectators and even hear their shouts of 
approval. Was it possible that he could be the 
pitcher — the central figure in the nine toward which 
the eyes of all would be turned? For the first 
time the country boy had a feeling of depression. 
He had never been put to the test of facing experi- 
enced batters. It was true he had been phenomen- 
ally successful against the Benson and other local 
nines. But they were as inexperienced as he. 
Then he recalled the quiet and confident words of 
Moulton. "If you keep on, Dan, you are going 
to be one of the best college pitchers. I shall follow 
you for a year or two and keep watch of your work. 
If you do what I believe you will, we’ll be sure to 
fix your college course all right.” 

Dan had not fully understood just what Moulton 
meant, but as he recalled his words now they were 
wonderfully comforting. He would do his best to 
show Moulton that all his aid had not been wasted. 

“ You’re a new boy too, aren’t you? ” 

Dan, who was walking across the campus on his 
way to his room, looked up as he heard the question 
and saw before him a slight delicate boy, apparently 
about fourteen years of age, though he was smaller 
than most boys of that age. 

“ Yes, I’m a new boy,” replied Dan smiling as he 
spoke and stopping to wait for the lad to join him. 
“ Are you new too ? ” 


‘Page 156 


‘C he ‘Pennant 


“ Yes. I just came last night. It’s the first time 
I have ever been away from home.” The lad’s 
eyes were moist and Dan’s sympathy was at once 
aroused. He understood the feelings of his com- 
panion, though he had different ways of expression. 

“ First time I’ve ever been away from home too,” 
he said with a smile. 

“ Is it ? ” inquired the lad, interested at once. 
“ Which form are you in ? ” 

“ Second.” 

“ I’m only in the fourth. You’ll have only two 
years here.” 

“ And you’ll have four.” 

“ Yes,” the boy responded, as if the prospect was 
far from pleasing. “ My name is Carlton Hall. 
What is yours ? ” 

“ Dan Richards. Where do you live ? ” 

“ Brooklyn.” 

“ I live away up in the country. I never expected 
to have a chance to come to this school — t — ” 

“ Do you like it ? ” interrupted the boy. 

“ It must be a wonderful place,” replied Dan 
quietly. “ You and I will both have to keep before 
us all the time what it means to be students in the 
Tait School.” 

“ Yes,” assented Carlton feebly. “ Do you know 
I am glad I have to study with the teachers. I’d get 
lonesome if I didn’t. You see, I room alone ” 

“ Study with the teachers ? ” broke in Dan. 
“ What do you mean ? ” 


c&he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 157 


“ Don’t you know ? Why the first-form boys 
are allowed to do all their work in their rooms, 
unless they get too low a standing in their exams. 
Then the fellows in the second form who stand in 
the first division are allowed to study in their 
rooms too. All the rest have to study every after- 
noon and evening in one of the study rooms.” 

“ I didn’t know about that.” 

“ That’s the way it is. Won’t you come over 
and see me pretty soon ? ” inquired Carlton wist- 
fully. 

“ Where do you room ? ” 

“ In Boyd Hall, number seven. It’s the single 
room at the head of the stairs, in the south entry.” 

“ I’ll be glad to come,” Dan promised readily. 
The unspoken appeal in the big blue eyes could not 
be resisted. “ Come over and make a call on me. 
I’m in nine, Badger Hall — west entry.” 

“ Do you room alone ? ” 

“ No, Walter Borden rooms with me.” 

When Dan entered his room he found Walter 
and Ned both there, and as soon as they saw him 
Walter exclaimed, “What do you think, Dan? 
We’ve got a proposition to form a school league.” 

“ Have you ? ” 

“ You’re right we have. I don’t understand why 
it hasn’t been done long ago. Four schools, St. 
John’s, the Greystone Military School, the Atlas 
High School, and the Military Academy at Dundee. 
Of course, we’ll find some muckers in the high- 


* Page 158 


‘U he ‘Pennant 


school nine, but they can play ball. It’ll be a great 
scheme. Whichever wins the championship of the 
league has got the State interscholastic champion- 
ship too, for there isn’t another school in the State 
that can touch any one of the four. It’s too late 
to take in football, but we’ll have that next fall. It 
will bring us right into line for the baseball and 
track and tennis in the spring. Perhaps we can fix 
things up in time for hockey and basket-ball this 
winter ” 

“ Hold on, Walter,” interrupted Dan. “ You go 
too fast for me. I guess I don’t quite understand.” 

“ Why, you see it’s this way,” explained Ned. 
“ These four schools are near one another and they 
put up the best article in the way of athletics in 
the State. We have games every year anyway, but 
by this new arrangement we have a league, you see. 
There’ll be regularly scheduled games and the nine 
or the team that wins out will get a pennant. It 
will be able to claim too, the championship of the 
State. It’s a great scheme and there’s only one 
drawback; I don’t mean a drawback exactly, I 
mean there’s only one question ” 

“ What’s that?” demanded Walter. 

“ Why, it’s the question of Dan. If he can make 
good as the pitcher of the Tait School nine it will 
be all right ” 

“ You don’t want to go into the league unless you 
can get that pennant? Is that it?” asked Dan 
quietly. 


e C he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 159 


“ I’d rather go in if we can win,” laughed Ned. 

“ Somebody will have to come out last,” sug- 
gested Walter. 

“ ‘ Strange but true/ ” laughed Ned. “ I am 
aware of that marvelous fact, but after Red’s work 
last year — why, Dan, the Military Academy got only 
one hit and that was on account of an accident in 
the ninth inning ” 

“ So you’ve told us a million times or more,” 
broke in Walter irritably. “ Don’t tell us that old 
story again. I’ll back Dan. He’ll give you all 
you want.” 

“ I’m sure, for the sake of the nine, I hope he 
will,” said Ned good-naturedly. “ That’s all I 
want.” 

“ He’ll do it,” said Walter confidently. 

“ I’ve been talking with Samson,” said Ned, “ and 
he says we can begin the inter- form games next 
week. The first game will be between the first and 
second forms, fellows. I’ll tell you, Dan, that Gus 
Kiggins — he’s the first-form pitcher — will put you 
on your mettle. He’s been substitute pitcher on 
the school nine two years, and he’s sore because 
Red Chandler came in last year and won out as the 
regular pitcher. He doesn’t know that you are here 
or that you can pitch ” 

“ He will at the end of the first inning,” declared 
Walter. 

“ I hope so, with all my heart.” 

“ Look here,” said Dan in a low voice, “ you 


‘Page 160 


c Uhe Pennant 


aren’t going to put me in as the pitcher of the 
second-form nine, are you ? ” 

“ Correct,” said Ned. 

“ But you haven’t tried me. You don’t know 
whether I can do it or not. I don’t know my- 
self ” 

“ I do,” said Walter. 

Dan shook his head as he said quietly, “ Walter 
is not the best judge.” 

“ I’m captain of the second-form nine,” said Ned. 
“ I’ll give you a chance to make good. If you 
don’t ” 

“ What then? ” inquired Dan. 

“ Why, you’ll retire in favor of your successor, 
that’s all.” 

“ You must see what my work is first,” said Dan 
firmly. 

“Just what I intend to do. It’ll be clear to- 
morrow and we will get up a scrub game on the 
campus at two-thirty. We’ll have the diamond all 
to ourselves, for most of the fellows will want to 
see what the prospects for the eleven are. They’ll 
be down watching the football practice and we’ll 
have the field to ourselves.” 

“ How about Gus Kiggins? Will he come out? ” 
inquired Walter. 

“ No. He’s out for half-back on the eleven this 
fall. I guess he’ll make it too,” replied Ned. “ All 
the better if he doesn’t show up.” 

“ He’ll pitch for the first form, won’t he? ” 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


•Page 161 


“ You can rest easy about that/’ laughed Ned. 
“ Gus will be on deck then. He loves the spotlight.” 

“ He is all right too/’ said Walter. 

“ Yes, he can play ball. He’ll be the pitcher of 
the school nine, unless Dan goes him one better.” 

“ Dan will do it all right,” asserted Walter, al- 
though even Dan somehow felt there was a slight 
note of anxiety in his roommate’s apparent con- 
fidence. 

Promptly at half past two the following afternoon 
Dan and Walter went to the field. Ned had had 
his difficulties in securing sufficient players to make 
up two nines, so keen was the interest of the school 
in learning what the outlook for the eleven was 
likely to be. However, after a time, two nines were 
obtained and preparations for the scrub game were 
completed. 

“ Dan, you can’t pitch in those clothes ! ” pro- 
tested Walter as his roommate seated himself on 
the bench. “ Where’s your uniform? ” 

“ What uniform? ” 

“ Why, the one you used in Rodman.” 

“ I left that with that study gown you didn’t 
like.” 

Walter’s face flushed slightly as he said : “ But 
Dan, you don’t understand how much depends on 
the impression you make on Ned and the other fel- 
lows to-day. Let me get you ” 

Walter rose abruptly to go to the dressing-room 
of the club-house, but as he did so Dan said quietly, 

L 


Vagc 162 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ No frills to-day, Walter. This is only a scrub 
game anyway.” 

“ No, it isn’t, at least as far as you are con- 
cerned ! ” 

“ I’m going into the game just as I am,” said Dan 
in a low voice. “ I notice that some of the boys 
are not wearing uniforms.” 

“ They don’t need to. They can’t play ball. 
But it’s different with you, Dan. I’ve been backing 
you up ” 

“ Never mind, Walter. If I don’t show any signs 
of greatness it will be all right, however it comes 
out. If I don’t show that I can do anything I’ll feel 
better ” 

“ All right. Have it your own way,” retorted 
Walter sulkily. “ I can’t do anything more. You’d 
do better if you had the shoes ” 

It was Walter’s turn at the bat and as his 
name was called he turned abruptly to the home 
plate. 

“ You’re next,” said Ned to Dan, as Walter made 
a hit and gained his base. “ Can you bunt ? If you 
can, let me see you sacrifice Walter to second.” 

Dan’s “ sacrifice hit,” however, consisted in a long 
high fly to deep center. The fielder, evidently an in- 
experienced player, misjudged the ball and Walter 
ran home, while Dan rested on third base. 

“ You ought to have done what I told you,” said 
Ned sharply when Dan came home a little later. 
“ You would have been out if there had been a good 


“She ‘Pennant 


*Page 163 


fielder in center and the chances are you’d have 
doubled up Walter too.” 

“ I took the chance,” said Dan quietly. “ I knew 
the fellow couldn’t field.” 

“Well, watch my signals now,” said Ned tartly, 
as the side was out and he and Dan started for their 
position in the field. 


\ 


‘Page 164 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XVII 

A TRY-OUT 

I T was so early in the school year that opportu- 
nities for talking over the new boys had of neces- 
sity been limited. The fact that Walter had a new 
roommate who was somewhat “ green ” had been 
noticed and smilingly commented upon, but what he 
was able to do in the school life was unknown. In- 
deed, with the exception of two or three of Wal- 
ter’s closest friends, to whom he had enthusiastically 
described Dan’s success as a pitcher, the matter had 
not been referred to. 

As the football team claimed the chief interest of 
the school at this time there were only a few besides 
the two scrub nines present when the game began, 
a fact for which Dan was deeply thankful. 

“ Your agricultural friend is as strong as an ox 
and he has a good swing with his bat, but he hasn’t 
any more idea of team work than he has of trout- 
fishing in Mars,” Ned in a low voice had said 
to Walter as the latter passed him to take his 
position as short-stop. “ We’ll see now what he 
can do.” 

“Yes; you keep your eyes^open,” retorted Walter 
confidently. Dan caught the ball which Walter 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Fage 165 


threw him and then in turn began to throw it about 
the diamond. He had not had an opportunity to 
warm up and several weeks had elapsed since he 
had had a ball in his hand. To most of the players 
the game was only a “ scrub ” anyway, but to Dan, 
as no one realized more fully than he, there were 
larger issues at stake. His quiet manner, however, 
was unchanged and only Walter was aware how 
eager his friend was to do well. 

The opposing batter now advanced to the plate 
and Dan caught the ball, settled back in the pitcher’s 
box, swung his arm once or twice, and then pitched 
the ball. His action was not graceful and the ball 
was not swift. 

The batter struck at it, but failed to hit it, al- 
though the failure apparently was due to his own 
weakness. A straight swift ball produced a second 
strike, and then in accordance with the signals and 
plan of action to which Ned and Dan had agreed 
before they assumed their positions in the field, the 
pitcher sent in his “pet,” a form of delivery to 
which Moulton had devoted much time and pains. 

The ball sped swiftly as it left Dan’s hands and 
though it came fairly over the plate the batter 
stepped back as if in fear of being hit. 

“ Here, you timid creature, why don’t you strike 
at a good ball when you get it?” demanded Ned 
sharply of the batter. 

“ It didn’t come within a mile of the plate,” re- 
torted the batter. 


‘ Page 166 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Come here, Chesty! ” called Ned, turning to the 
spectators. “ Come on and umpire this game. This 
fellow can’t tell whether the ball is going to hit him 
or whether it started in the other direction.” 

“ Yea, I’ll do that,” responded “ Lord Chester- 
field ” as he arose, carefully brushed his clothes with 
his hands, and took the position to which he had 
been called. 

“ Two strikes on this fellow,” said Ned as he 
replaced his mask and gave his chest-protector a pull. 
“ Now go ahead. Call it two balls. I don’t know 
just how many he deserves.” Signaling to Dan to 
repeat his last effort Ned stretched forth his hands 
for his pitcher to begin again. 

Once more Dan sent in a swift inshoot, that as it 
came to the plate suddenly appeared to turn and 
vindictively try to hit the player at the bat. 

“ Three balls,” called Chesty glibly. 

Ned glared at him as in duty bound, but did not 
speak as he returned the ball to Dan. 

“ Four balls! Take your base! ” shouted Chesty 
once more, after Dan had pitched another ball. 

Ned started to protest, but a low laugh from 
Dan caused him to check the word he was about to 
speak and he returned the ball. 

The second boy to bat obtained the same result as 
his predecessor, and two were on bases. 

“ Careful, Dan,” called Walter in a low voice 
from his position as short-stop. “ Take it easy. 
Don’t try too hard.” 


he ‘Pennant 


<Pagt 167 


Dan did not reply, but swinging about he threw 
the ball swiftly to second base and the runner was 
caught at least two feet away. 

“ That’s the way to do it ! ” called Ned. “ Now 
look sharp and we’ll have this fellow on strikes,” 
he added as the third boy advanced to the plate. 

Dan responded with a ball so swift and unex- 
pected that Ned dropped it. 

“ Ball ! ” shouted Chesty. And as Dan sent in 
three more that came with equal speed, he declared 
that each was a ball and allowed the batter to take 
his base. 

“ What’s the trouble, Dan ? ” called Walter. 

“ Nothing,” responded Dan. 

“ Get them over the plate.” 

“ They are,” said Dan quietly. “ Your umpire 
can’t see straight.” However, Dan apparently did 
not try to pitch his best. He retired the side after 
one run had been made and twice the ball had been 
hit into the infield. 

“ No use,” he explained to Walter as they walked 
in together. “ The fellow either can’t or won’t see. 
I’ll just give them easy ones and let them go.” 

“No; don’t do that. Chesty will see after a bit,” 
protested Walter. But Dan was perverse and for 
several innings pitched a slower ball which occa- 
sionally was hit, though most of the boys that faced 
him struck out. 

“ I don’t know,” said Ned to Walter, after an 
hour had elapsed. " He has speed if he lets him- 


‘ Page 168 


T) he ‘Pennant 


self out, but lie’s as wild as a hawk. Doesn’t seem 
to know just where the plate is or what it is for.” 

“ Dan says Chesty can’t or won’t see.” 

“ Here come the fellows from the football field,” 
said Ned quickly, as the eleven were seen approach- 
ing on their way to the dressing-room. “ I’m going 
to ask Gus Kiggins and some of the fellows to come 
in and bat. There’s Samson too,” he added. “ I’ll 
have him call strikes and balls. We’ll see now what 
we’ll see.” 

In response to Ned’s call four of the boys stopped 
and acting upon Ned’s suggestion quickly agreed to 
face Dan. The physical instructor good-naturedly 
agreed to decide as to the balls and strikes and took 
a position behind Ned. 

The scrub game had served to “ warm up ” Dan 
and, as Walter keenly watched him, more eager than 
he would have acknowledged to have his words of 
praise proved true, he smiled as he noticed that Dan 
settled back in a way he recognized and under- 
stood. Whenever Dan had his present expression 
Walter had no fear. 

Hodge, the heavy right tackle on the football team 
and the heaviest hitter on the school nine, smilingly 
grasped a bat and faced the pitcher. Gathering him- 
self together Hodge struck at the first ball Dan sent 
in, but his bat failed to reach the elusive little 
sphere and he joined in the laugh that greeted his 
efforts. 

“ Look out, Hodge,” called Gus Kiggins. “ It’ll 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 169 


come back and hit you ! ” His tones were bantering 
and it was plain that he was not looking upon the 
work of the new boy in any serious way. 

Again Dan sent in the ball, this time even swifter 
than before, but as it reached the plate it suddenly 
seemed to rise in the air and Hodge struck several 
inches beneath it. An expression of surprise, almost 
of chagrin, appeared upon the face of the tall player 
and as he looked again at Dan there was an added 
element of interest in his expression. 

Once more the pitcher turned himself about and 
Hodge braced himself for even a swifter ball, but 
in spite of Dan's contortions the ball slowly rose 
and Hodge had struck at it long before it had 
crossed the plate. 

“ You’re out ! ” called Samson sharply to the 
batter, though he was looking keenly at Dan as he 
spoke. 

“ Come on, Smith. Try your luck,” said Hodge 
to one of the other boys who was standing with 
a bat in his hand awaiting his turn. 

Smith, stout, stolid, manifestly possessed of great 
strength, advanced laughingly to the plate and 
keenly watched Dan. He struck viciously at the 
first ball and a long foul followed. He lunged at 
the next ball, but it seemed to dodge his bat. He 
looked again at the pitcher, grasped his bat more 
firmly, and then swung quickly at the ball which 
Dan sent in with his utmost strength. “ Strike ! ” 
called Samson, then turning to the catcher, who had 


‘Page 170 


^he Pennant 


dropped the ball, he said, “ What’s the trouble, 
Ned ? Can’t you hold him ? ” 

“ Go ahead,” replied Ned grimly, bracing himself. 

Again the ball came swiftly, but Smith once more 
failed to hit, and when Dan repeated his experi- 
ment with Hodge by sending a slow ball and the 
batter struck at it long before it reached him Smith 
good-naturedly exclaimed as he threw down his 
bat, “ No use, fellows. You can’t find the ball.” 

Gus Kiggins now walked to the plate. Without 
knowing who was facing him, Dan felt that there 
was opposition keen and strong expressed in the 
face of the player. The interest of all in the little 
group of spectators was aroused now, and Walter, 
whose delight at Dan’s feat in striking out the two 
heavy hitters of the school nine was unconcealed, 
was watching the young pitcher with increasing 
eagerness. If Gus Kiggins could be struck out too ! 
“ Dan,” he said in a low voice, “ give Gus a low 
drop. He can’t hit a low ball.” 

Without betraying whether or not he had heard 
the suggestion, Dan looked keenly at the batter and 
then sent in a sudden and terrifically swift ball that 
crossed the plate before Gus had fairly drawn back 
his bat. The ball was quickly returned by Ned, 
and again, with his sudden quick swing, Dan threw 
the ball before Gus was fully aware. 

“ Two strikes ! ” called Samson in a low voice. 

“You’re doing nobly!” laughed Hodge as he 
watched the batter. “ Look out for that third 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 171 


strike! The ball has a habit of stopping somewhere 
up in the air and waiting for you to strike at it 
before it decides to come on.” 

“ Til wait for it,” retorted Kiggins and a moment 
later he lunged heavily at the ball which Dan threw 
with terrific speed. 

“ Three strikes ! You’re out,” declared Samson. 

“ That’s enough,” said Dan as he dropped the 
ball and started from the field. 

“ Give us another round. You caught us off our 
guard,” called Kiggins. Without a protest, Dan 
once more picked up the ball, called to Ned to take 
his position behind the bat, and prepared to resume 
his work. 

Again in order the three players faced the new 
boy, , but with the exception of a high foul which 
Hodge raised, not one was able to hit the ball. 

“ Come on, fellows ! ” called Walter as he raced 
in from the field. “ This is enough. I’ve grown 
stiff waiting for a ball to come my way. It wouldn’t 
make any difference if you came to bat a dozen 
times. It would be the same thing right over 
again.” Walter’s elation at Dan’s success was great 
now. The three heavy hitters of the school nine 
had each struck out twice in succession as they 
tried to hit the ball. 

The face of Gus Kiggins was a study. Anger, 
chagrin, rage — all were expressed in it. The sight 
caused Walter to laugh, for he thought he under- 
stood the feelings of the burly player. His in- 


‘Page 172 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


terest was keener when he saw that Samson had 
advanced to Dan and was speaking warmly to him. 
Ned, a moment later, joined the two and his en- 
thusiasm was unconcealed. 

“ Where did the country bumpkin come from?” 
asked Gus Kiggins of Walter. 

“ Oh, I found him this summer. He struck out 
fifteen in one game! He’s a wonder! I guess we’ll 
all feel that the Tait School has somebody to take 
Red’s place now.” 

But Gus was scowling and looking at the new boy 
with unconcealed anger. “ Never mind, Gussie,” 
continued Walter in mock sympathy. “ We’ll let 
you carry the bats for the nine if you’ll be good.” 

At that moment Dan approached the group, and 
as he drew near the expression of contempt which 
he saw on the face of Gus Kiggins caused him to 
stop and look inquiringly at his roommate. 


he ‘Pennant 


• Page 173 


CHAPTER XVIII 

A NEW PITCHER 

U NAWARE of the expression on the face of 
Gus Kiggins, Walter said to Dan as the 
latter joined the group, “ Didn’t I tell you? You’re 
all right, Dan.” Then, turning to his companions, 
he continued : “ I always keep my eyes open for the 
nine. You fellows seem to think the eleven is the 
only team in school, but when I can find a pitcher 
for the nine, such as I have in Dan Richards, I’m 
telling you that you’ll forget there is such a game 
as football when you see what the baseball nine will 
do for us.” 

“ There’s a better way yet,” said Gus, looking 
boldly at Walter as he spoke. 

“What’s that?” 

“’Hire two or three professionals,” sneered Gus. 
“ We don’t want them.” 

“ Might as well have them as to have ‘ muckers.’ ” 
The face of Gus was glowering, and his feeling was 
manifest to all. 

“ We have some muckers already,” retorted Wal- 
ter hotly. He was angry at the reflection upon his 
choice perhaps even more than at the slight cast 
upon Dan. He glanced hastily at his roommate, 


‘Page 174 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


and from Dan’s unchanged manner he concluded 
that he either did not know what a mucker was or 
did not apply the epithet to himself. 

“ Who’s a mucker ? ” demanded Gus as he stopped 
and faced Walter. “ Do you mean to tell me that 
I ” 

“ I am not mentioning any names,” broke in Wal- 
ter with a sneer. “ When a fellow is a mucker he 
doesn’t have to run around and wave a banner. It 
is usually stamped on his face. If it isn’t, give 
him a chance to open his mouth and he’ll do 
the rest.” 

The boys laughed at Walter’s retort and as they 
looked at Gus it was plain that their sympathies 
were not with him. Several glanced slyly at Dan, 
but to all appearances he was the least-moved boy 
in the group. 

“ There isn’t a mucker in the Tait School,” said 
Gus savagely, “ or at least there hasn’t been up to 
to-day. Every fellow pays his way like a man and 
he has something behind him too ! ” 

“ What do you mean?” asked Walter tauntingly, 
aroused still more by the manifest sympathy of his 
companions. “ How far back does a fellow have to 
go not to be a mucker? Now, would you think 
that a fellow whose father stuck pigs ” 

“ Say that again,” broke in Gus, his face livid and 
his fist drawn back, “ and I’ll show you.” 

“ Yes,” taunted Walter, “ that is the way some 
fellows take to show that they are not muckers.” 


“TTAe ‘Pennant 


Page 175 


It was common report in the school that the 
father of Gus Kiggins, who now was a prosperous 
pork-packer, had begun his successful career as one 
of the men employed by the establishment in which 
he now was a partner. It was a well-known fact 
that he had been one of the “ hands ” whose sole 
occupation was slaughtering hogs. 

“ I’ll leave it to the fellows — no, I’ll leave it to 
this fellow himself/’ shouted Gus, as he stopped 
and faced Dan, his companions also stopping at the 
same time. 

“ Leave what to him? ” demanded Ned. 

“ Whether what I say is true or not.” 

“That you’re a mucker?” asked Walter with a 
sneer. 

“ No, sir. I’ll just ask him one or two questions, 
and if he answers them, then I’ll never say another 
word if they’re not my way. If they prove what 
I claim, then I’ll leave it with you fellows.” 

“ Oh, take a rest, Gus. Calm down,” said Hodge. 
“ You talk too much.” 

“ Let him ask his questions,” said Dan quietly. 

“ He hasn’t any right to question you,” declared 
Smith. “ He hasn’t any more right than Hodge has 
or I have. No, nor than you have to ask him ques- 
tions.” 

“ Don’t stop him. I’ll answer two questions for 
him if he’ll let me ask him two after he’s done with 
me,” said Dan. 

“ That’s fair. Go ahead, Gus,” said Hodge. 


‘ Page 176 


C "Che ‘Pennant 


“ All right,” said Gus, promptly turning to Dan. 
“ My first question is, Do you pay for your term- 
bills in the Tait School or does someone else pay 
for them? I know it’s none of my business in one 
sense of the word ” 

“ Of course it’s none of your business ! ” broke 
in Walter. “ No one but a mucker would ever ask 
a question like that anyway ! ” 

For a moment Gus glared at the speaker, but 
as Hodge and Smith instantly stepped in front of 
him, no damage, at least physically, was done. 
“ You don’t have to answer such a fool question as 
that,” said Hodge, turning to Dan. 

“ I don’t mind answering it,” said Dan, apparently 
unmoved. “ I don’t mind telling you that I don’t 
pay my bills here.” 

“ There ! That’s just what I thought ! ” shouted 
Gus and he was quick to mark the effect of Dan’s 
acknowledgment. It was manifest that the reply 
of Dan had somewhat dampened the ardor of the 
boys. “ Now, I’ve got just one question more.” 

“ It’ll keep,” said Smith curtly. 

“ Let me hear it,” protested Dan. 

“ I won’t ask you who pays your bills,” continued 
Gus, “ but I will ask you this : Now, honestly, wasn’t 
it because you’re a good pitcher that this unknown 
benefactor of yours offered to pay your way through 
the Tait School ? ” 

“ Don’t answer his question, Dan ! ” spoke up 
Walter hastily. 


he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 177 


Ignoring the protest Dan looked straight into the 
face of his accuser and said : “ I shall have to say 
both yes and no. I’ll own up that if I hadn’t been 
a — if some people hadn’t thought I could pitch a 
little — probably I wouldn’t be here now. But I 
know too, that that isn’t the only reason why ” 

“ That’s all I want,” interrupted Gus trium- 
phantly. “ You own up that you don’t pay your 
own way, and you can’t deny that someone has 
offered to send you because you think you can pitch 
a little. That’s all I claimed. I haven’t anything 
against you, you understand, but I rather guess 
that Doctor Sprague won’t stand for such things. 
The Tait School has too good a name to spoil it 
now by hiring m — professionals,” he hastily inter- 
rupted himself. 

The boys glanced slyly at Dan, but he was silent. 
His face flushed and it was plain that the brutal 
words had cut deeply, although he tried not to show 
it. Turning sharply, Hodge said : 

“ Richards, did you ever get money for playing 
ball?” 

“ Not a cent! ” spoke up Walter hastily. 

“ Let him answer for himself,” said Gus. 

“No, I never was paid for a game,” answered 
Dan quietly. 

“ That settles it,” declared Smith. 

“ No, it doesn’t settle it,” almost shouted Walter. 
“ I’ll tell you fellows just how it was ” 

“ Please don’t,” interrupted Dan. 

M 


Page 178 


‘Tjhe Pennant 


“ I’m going to tell/’ persisted Walter, ignoring 
his roommate’s words. “ I’ll tell you just how 
it was. Dan lives on a farm that is next to my 
grandfather’s at Rodman. I’ve known him ever 
since we both were kids. Four years ago his 
father died, and Dan and his brother Tom have 
been running the farm ever since. Of course, a fel- 
low that runs a farm nowadays doesn’t get the 
chance to make as much money as some men do, but 
Dan and Tom have managed to live and get a little 
ahead too. They knew there was some money to 
be made ” 

“ On a farm? ” broke in Gus with a sneer. 

“ Yes, sir ; on a farm ! ” retorted Walter hotly. 

“ I’d like to know what they raised,” sneered Gus. 

“I’ll tell you — they raised hogs!” said Walter. 
“ You ought to know that hogs pay if there’s anyone 
in the school that knows it.” 

A shout arose from the boys, but Gus only glow- 
ered at Walter. In a moment the latter continued: 
“ Dan decided this summer that he would take the 
little money he had made and saved by raising hogs 
and doing other little jobs, like rowing for the 
men that wanted to go fishing on Six Town Pond, 
and go to school. He had about decided that he 
would go to the normal school, for he’d have a 
chance there to work and pay for part of his board, 
and there wasn’t any tuition to pay for anyway. 
My father heard of Dan’s plan and he told him 
that if he would room with me and do me good he 


‘U he ‘Pennant 


"Page 179 


would -send him to the Tait School. Now, the way 
I look at it, it’s Dan who is doing the favor — — ” 

“Of course he is ! ” broke in Hodge warmly. “ It 
was mighty good of him to come, I think. I guess 
if he hadn't shown that he had that ‘ fade-away ’ 
ball Gus wouldn't have kicked. It's too bad, Gus- 
sie,” he added with a laugh, as he turned to his 
companion. “ You’re a near-pitcher anyway, and 
that’s something, you know." 

“ Why didn’t you go out and hire some profes- 
sional to take Ned's place as catcher?" demanded 
the angry Gus. 

“ Oh, Ned's all right. He'll learn how to hold the 
new pitcher when he has had a little more practice." 
Hodge looked at Ned, who had been thoughtfully 
silent throughout the quarrel, and laughed as he 
spoke. 

“ I don’t believe in it ! " declared Gus, “ and I'll 
bet you that Doctor Sprague won't either, when he 
finds out about it." 

“ Run and tell him now, Gussie," suggested Smith. 

“ I'm no telltale." 

“ All right, then," said Smith. “If Doctor 
Sprague doesn’t hear of it, we’ll believe you." 

“ He’ll know without my telling him." 

“ Oh, no he won’t, Gussie boy." 

“ Yes, he will," said Dan quietly. 

“Who’ll tell him?" 

“ I shall." 

“ You ! " exclaimed Gus. 


‘Page 180 


'Che 'Pennant 


“ Yes,” replied Dan. “ I don’t want to play on the 
nine if there is any question about my right.” 

“ You’re all right,” said Hodge. “ All you have 
to do is to saw wood.” 

“ I guess he can do that,” sneered Gus. 

“ He can, if he can do it as well as he can pitch 
— or stick hogs ! ” retorted Walter. 


e&he ‘Pennant 


Page 181 


CHAPTER XIX 

SCHOOL LIFE 

Y OU stirred up the animals, Walter,” said 
Hodge after Gus had taken his departure. 
Don’t do it any more. Gussie is all right enough 
if you don’t bear on too hard. Look at the shoul- 
ders on him. No wonder he’s the next to the best 
boxer in school. The trouble with him is that he 
counted upon being the pitcher on the school nine 
next spring, that’s all. It’s a little bit rough, you 
know, to be waked up by an earthquake.” 

“ He stands about as much chance of being 
pitcher as I do of being King of Timbuctoo or of 
Oshkosh,” sniffed Walter. 

“ He doesn’t have a ghost of a show if Richards 
can do again what he did to-day, — strike out the 
three heaviest hitters on the nine,” laughed Ned. 

“ Yes, and strike out each of them twice in suc- 
cession,” added Walter. 

“ Good work, old man ! ” said Hodge affection- 
ately patting Dan on the shoulder. “ We’ll leave 
you here. Look out for Gus. If he meets you 
alone some dark night he may pitch into you.” 

“ Hello, Carlton,” said Dan, as he and his room- 
mate were about to enter their hall. “ What’s 


‘Page 182 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


wrong?” The little fellow’s face was pale and it 
was manifest that he had been crying. 

“ Somebody poured water in my bed,” said Carl- 
ton. “ My room is all mussed up too. I — I think 
I’ll ” 

“You’ll what?” asked Dan kindly as the boy 
hesitated. 

“ I — I think I’ll write my mother and ask her 
to let me come home.” 

“ No, no. That isn’t the way. I’ll go over with 
you, and we’ll set matters to rights in a minute. Do 
you know who did it ? ” 

“ I think I do. I am almost sure ” 

“ Well, don’t let him know that you know, who- 
ever it is.” 

“ Why not?” 

“ Because you may have more trouble if you do.” 

“ But I don’t want to sleep in a wet bed. I’ll 
catch cold.” 

“ Take your bedding off and let it dry.” 

“ Maybe they’ll pour more water on it if I do.” 

“ I guess not.” 

“ Hello ; got a protector have you ? ” Dan looked 
up as he heard the question, and saw Gus Kiggins 
before him. “ Well, you’ll need his help, I guess,” 
continued Gus, as he looked again at the troubled 
little lad. “ He wants his mamma, doesn’t he ? 
Poor little darling! Do the naughty bad boys 
plague him? He mustn’t play with muckers. It 
is naughty and it is not nice. Come ” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 183 


“ That's enough ! ” broke in Dan quietly. 

“ Enough of what ? ” demanded Gus as he in- 
stantly turned to face Dan. His manner betrayed 
his anger and it was manifest that he resented the 
quiet words of the new boy. 

“ Enough of picking on a little fellow,” said Dan 
steadily. 

“ What is it to you ? ” 

“ I sha’n’t stand by and see Carlton abused.” 

“ He needs a little attention — and so do you ! 
And you’ll both get it.” 

Dan did not move from his position nor did he 
reply to the words of his angry classmate. As he 
looked at Gus he saw that the boy undoubtedly was 
possessed of great physical strength. He was not 
any taller than he, but was much heavier. Dan re- 
called too, what one of the boys had said, that “ Gus 
Kiggins was one of the best boxers in the Tait 
School.” The fellow was angry now and not only 
inclined to quarrel, but apparently ready to seek 
trouble. Dan was also aware of the feeling of 
jealousy which doubtless had been aroused by what 
he had seen of his pitching in the scrub game of 
baseball. “Here comes Squint!” exclaimed Gus 
suddenly in a low voice, as the teacher who was in 
charge of the entry came into the hall. “ That saves 
you this time, but if you don’t learn how to mind 
your own business you’ll get some teaching that 
isn’t down in the catalogue ! ” With this parting 
threat Gus turned and left the hall. The teacher 


“Page 184 


c&he ‘Pennant 


nodded to the two boys who remained in the entry, 
and at once entered his room. 

44 Oh, thank you ! Thank you ! ” exclaimed Carl- 
ton to Dan. 

44 For what?” 

44 For taking my part against that big bully.” 

44 Has he ever troubled you before? ” 

44 Yes. He pulled my ears this morning, and 
when I cried he picked me up in his arms and held 
me over the balusters.” 

44 What did you do then? ” 

44 1 cried — a little.” 

44 What for?” 

44 Because I was scared. He might have dropped 
me,” replied Carlton, unable to conceal his sur- 
prise as he looked at Dan. 

44 Did it make him stop when you cried ? ” 

44 No. He is a big bully! I guess he’ll find out 
that I don’t like him very well ! ” 

Dan repressed the smile that rose to his lips 
and looked down at the little fellow before him. 
Plainly Carlton was a 44 spoiled ” boy who never 
had been taught to consider anyone but himself. 
What a multitude of new elements the shrinking 
selfish little lad had to learn! 

44 Do you think Gus Kiggins will cry when he 
finds out that you don’t like him very well, Carl- 
ton?” Dan inquired quizzically. 

44 He’s just a big bully, that’s all he is!” said 
Carlton. 44 I don’t like the boys here anyway. I 


he ‘Pennant 


Page 185 


guess I’ll go home. My mother told me I might 
leave if I didn’t want to stay.” 

“ What will your father say ? ” 

“ I haven’t any father. He’s dead.” 

“ Have you any brothers ? ” 

“ No.” 

Dan’s knowledge of life was limited, but he 
thought he saw plainly the training which Carlton 
had received. Doubtless, he surmised, the boy’s 
mother in her loneliness and grief had devoted her- 
self to the only child she had. His every wish was 
granted, his will never was thwarted, and he ruled 
his mother as a tyrant might have done. 

“ Carlton,” Dan said quietly, “ what do the fel- 
lows call the boy that runs away or cries when 
he has something hard to do ? ” 

“ I don’t know what they call him and I don’t 
care. I won’t stand it to have that big bully pull my 
ears or let the boys pour water in my bed! My 
mother ” 

“ Did you know my father is dead too ? ” broke 
in Dan. 

“ No. Is he?” 

“ Yes. I’ve got a lot of hard things to learn too. 
I am sure I shall feel just as you do many times, 
but I’m not going to run. The boys all think the 
fellow that runs away is a coward.” 

“ But you’re big and strong.” 

“ In some ways.” 

“ You aren’t afraid of Gus Kiggins.” 


*P age 186 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


“ No, but there are some other things that I’m 
afraid of.” 

“ What are they? ” 

“ A good many.” 

“ Really?” 

“ Yes, I’ve thought already of doing just what 
you say you’re going to do, but I’ve decided to stay 
and fight it out.” 

“ I can’t fight.” 

“ Yes, you can! ” 

“ I’d like to know how.” 

“If you’ll try you’ll soon learn.” 

“ Will you show me how ? ” asked Carlton 
eagerly. 

“ I’ll show you all I know, but that isn’t much.” 

“Yes, it is! I know it is! I’m coming over to 
have you show me. I’d like to find out ” 

“ Come whenever you want to,” said Dan as he 
smiled and at once departed from the hall. As he 
walked to his room he was thinking of what the 
little fellow had said. He wanted to run away from 
his troubles. “ That’s just like me,” said Dan to 
himself. “ I haven’t learned to do what a lot of 
the fellows here have, and just because it’s hard 
for me to learn I wanted to play the baby act too. 
Well, I guess Carlton and I are in the same boat. 
We’ll have to learn how to paddle or just be carried 
down stream. That’s all there is to it.” 

“ Where have you been ? ” asked Walter as Dan 
entered the room. 


‘‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Paj’e 187 


“ Oh, I went over to his room with that Carlton 
Hall. He’s a little fellow and a new boy — green in 
some ways as I am,” Dan added. 

“What’s the matter with him?” 

“ He’s having his troubles. The boys upset his 
room, pour water in his bed — and — — ” 

“ That’s enough, isn’t it ! ” laughed Walter. “ Oh 
well, it’s a hard row to hoe, but it’ll do him good. 
He’ll learn pretty soon how to pitch into the fel- 
lows and drive them out. It’s the only way. Dan, 
you did yourself proud to-day.” 

“Did I?” 

“Yes, sir, you did! The fellows are wild about 
you. When you struck out Hodge and Smith and 
Gus Kiggins, our three heaviest hitters, twice in 
succession they all said you were surely the real 
thing.” 

“ Did Gus Kiggins say so ? ” 

“ Not exactly,” laughed Walter. “ His nose is 
out of joint. You wouldn’t exactly expect him to 
be happy over such a thing.” 

“ No,” assented Dan. 

“ He’ll be all right though, he’ll have to be. He 
isn’t very popular with the fellows anyhow.” 

“ He can play ball.” 

“ Yes, he’s a good player all right enough, but 
he’s a dirty player. He was center on the football 
team last fall, but Samson wouldn’t let him hold 
down the place.” 

“Why not?” 


‘Page 188 


‘Uhe Pennant 


“ Oh, Gus had a way when the ball was snapped 
back of grabbing dirt in each hand and then rubbing 
it into the eyes of the center of the other team. 
Then he had a trick of grabbing the other center 
right by the leg and pinching his muscles so hard 
that the fellow was limp as a rag. Of course it 
wasn’t so bad when it came to his putting up a 
game like that with the Military Academy. They’re 
a lot of muckers themselves and any trick is fair 
in war, you know.” 

“ Gus Kiggins said I was a mucker.” 

“ Yes, I know he did, but you mustn’t mind a 
little thing like that. Gus is sore.” 

“ Sore?” 

“ Why, yes,” laughed Walter. “ He’d counted 
upon being the pitcher of the school nine next 
spring. Naturally he doesn’t enjoy having you take 
his place. You wouldn’t like it yourself.” 

“ I haven’t taken his place yet.” 

“ You’re dead sure of it, Dan, if you can keep 
up such work as you were doing this afternoon. All 
the fellows say so. They’re warm for forming the 
new league too. I think myself it’s a sure thing. 
We’ll have the pennant in baseball too, if you pitch 
your game. Dan, you’ll be the king ! ” 

Dan smiled at the suggestion, though the words 
of praise were sweet to him. To an extent they 
served to drive away some of the darker feelings 
that had been in his mind. He decided in his quiet 
way that he would keep his eyes open and perhaps 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


• Page 189 


some of the things in which he was aware that his 
training was deficient might be improved without 
his roommate referring to them, for in spite of his 
unassuming ways Dan was keenly sensitive to the 
suggestions for improvement which Walter felt free 
to make. 

That same evening after supper Smith, Hodge, 
and Ned all came to Dan’s room, and their words of 
praise for the work of the afternoon were doubly 
soothing to Dan’s troubled heart. After all, per- 
haps, he was not entirely out of place among the 
boys of the Tait School, he thought. 

As the conversation turned to other matters and 
Ned’s words kept his companions in good humor, 
Dan felt himself strongly drawn to the boy. Sturdy, 
thickly set, his round face plain in feature, but 
lighted up by his love of fun and his manifest 
friendliness for everyone, Dan decided that Ned 
was one of the boys to whom anyone might turn 
with confidence. Whatever Ned’s defects might be, 
he was true. 

“ Look here, Ned,” Smith was saying, “ do you 
see that scar on my cheek ? ” 

“ I do,” replied Ned. “ What of it? ” 

“ I got it in the cars the other day. I had to 
stand, and right in front of me was a woman who 
had a long hatpin in her hat. I tell you such 
things ought to be stopped by law. I’m opposed to 
them.” 

“ Yes. You’re against long hatpins, so to speak,” 


•Page 190 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


laughed Ned. “ Well, I’ve been against them my- 
self several times.’’ 

“ That’s all right,” said Hodge as the boys 
laughed. “ You want to keep away from those 
things.” 

“ My father told me just before I left home how 
to keep the doctor away,” said Smith. 

“ How ? ” 

“ 4 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ That’s 
poetry. You fellows might not know it, so I’m re- 
peating it for your benefit.” 

“ I know something better than an apple to keep 
him away,” said Ned. 

“ What’s that?” 

“ An onion. That’ll keep the doctor and every- 
body else away too.” 

“ Ned, we’ll have to shut you up if you don’t quit 
that,” said Hodge. 

“ That makes me think of something that hap- 
pened at home just before I left for school,” con- 
tinued Ned, unabashed. “ My father was looking 
for a new chauffeur. There was one chap that 
applied for the place that my father rather liked, 
though I didn’t agree with him exactly. Finally my 
father asked the fellow how long he had been in 
his last position. ‘ Five years,’ the fellow told him. 
‘ That’s a good record — a remarkably good record 
in these days,’ my father said. You know he always 
says ‘ these days ’ as if he thought the world some- 
how was running down and was almost out, and the 


he ‘Pennant 


< Page 191 


worst of it is he always looks straight at me when 
he says it.” 

“ I wonder why,” suggested Hodge soberly. 

“ I wonder about it too,” said Ned. 

“ Oh, go on with your chauffeur,” said Smith. 
“We’ve got to hear about him, I suppose, so let’s 
get through with it. I’ve got something I want to 
say, but no one ever has a chance when Ned is 
around. He even talks in his sleep. You wind him 
up and ” 

“ Keep still there, you one of a million varieties. 
I’m doing this. Where was I when you broke in 
with your drivel? ” asked Ned. 

“ You were giving us a long-drawn-out tale of 
your new chauffeur,” said Walter. “ Probably all 
you wanted was to let us know that you had a car. 
What kind is it?” 

“ The kind that little Alexander and little Moses 
had in the bulrushes,” suggested Hodge. “ The kind 
that mother used to make.” 

“ This applicant for the proud position of chauf- 
feur in my ancestral domicile ” 

“ Be-a-u-ti-ful language,” drawled Smith. “ My, 
I wish I could talk that way.” 

“ This applicant said, in response to my father’s 
question,” continued Ned unabashed, “ that he had 
been five years in his last place. * Fine record,’ 
said my pater, much delighted. ‘ Why did you 
leave ? ’ he then asked the chap.” 

“ Ah, I know the answer to that,” said Hodge. 


Page 192 


'Che 'Pennant 


“ That came over in the Mayflower. That was .told 
to J. Smith by Pocahontas.” 

“ What was the answer. I never heard it / 9 said 
Walter. 

“ Why, the fellow left his last place because he 
was pardoned out or his term had expired, I for- 
get which,” groaned Hodge. 


he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 193 


CHAPTER XX 

A CHANGE IN WALTER 

D AN had not taken any part in the bantering of 
the boys, but he none the less enjoyed their 
light and easy way of looking at life. It was all 
very different from his own early experiences. 
Since the death of his father life had been a hard 
struggle. Every penny had to be counted with care 
and the work on the farm was exacting. Early 
and late he had toiled, though he never had thought 
of complaining. Tom and his mother were labor- 
ing as hard as he. Indeed, most of his neighbors 
knew no more than he did of the lighter side of life. 

As the new boy listened to the conversation, he 
had enjoyed it all, though it was difficult for him 
to understand how it was possible for his friends to 
throw aside apparently all feeling of responsibility. 
Someone must be working, and working hard too, 
to provide the means by which all the advantages 
which were given them were to be had. And yet 
no one seemed to be thinking of that nor of any 
responsibility that came with such privileges. Al- 
though Dan was happy in his quiet way, he was 
still at a loss to understand his friends. Their home 
training had been different from his, their lives 
N 


Page 194 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


had been easy, plenty of money had been given 
them, even their very clothing had an air which 
Dan now realized made his own appear in a light 
of which he had never once thought. As far as 
Rodman was concerned, he had always felt that he 
appeared as well as any of the country boys — that 
is, if he ever thought of such things at all. 

At the Tait School, however, all was changed, 
and though Dan did not quite understand as yet in 
just what the difference consisted, he still was 
conscious that in his life some of the elements that 
appealed strongly to him were lacking. Perhaps 
he was equally unaware that he himself was pos- 
sessed of certain very desirable qualities that were 
lacking in the well-dressed, self-possessed boys who 
made up the new world into which he had entered. 

As the days passed, Dan found himself compelled 
to work hard in Oirder to maintain a place in the 
classes to which he had been assigned. He had 
been out of school several years, and the work 
which he had tried to do alone and even that in 
which Moulton had directed him had left him 
poorly prepared. But there was in the country 
boy a spirit of determination that counted for 
much. Mr. Hale, one of the teachers, had ap- 
parently taken a special interest in the new boy. 
“ Remember, Richards,” he said to Dan one day, 
“ninety per cent of success means work. Indeed, 
that is about all there is of it anyway. Genius is 
said to be a capacity for work, and not much else. 


‘‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 195 


The great man is the man who can do more than 
others. If you work you’ll win. Of course it must 
be the right kind of work and it must be in the right 
way, for there is a deal of difference between 
mere activity and true work.” 

“ I don’t think I quite understand,” Dan had said. 

Mr. Hale laughed as he continued, “ Did you 
see that house that was being moved down the 
street yesterday?” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Did you notice that the men had a horse to 
wind the rope around the windlass and so pull the 
building?” 

“Yes, sir; I saw that.” 

“Well, yesterday afternoon I stopped to watch 
them a few minutes. The poor old horse was 
freed from his task a minute, the rope was being 
adjusted, I fancy, or there were some boards to be 
moved or something to be done. But the poor 
old horse didn’t know. Without a word being 
spoken to him he started in on his task again. 
Around and around he traveled, keeping it up 
until the men took pity on him and stopped him. 
He — I mean the horse, of course — didn’t know 
the difference, although he wasn’t accomplishing a 
thing. The rope was not adjusted and in spite of 
his steady trot around the windlass he wasn’t mov- 
ing the house an inch. He was ‘ active ’ enough, 
but he wasn’t doing any real work. Do you see 
what I mean?” 


‘ Page 196 


‘‘Che ‘Pennant 


“Yes, sir; I think I do,” said Dan thoughtfully. 

“ Don' t you know you do ? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Then you’ll come out all right in the end. 
You come to school to get your brains in work- 
ing order, but don’t forget that you must use your 
brains in your work as well as learn how to work 
your brains.” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Some of the boys here, even when they are 
studying with a teacher, think they are studying just 
because they are holding books in their hands. 
They’re like poor old Dobbin, who kept up his 
weary round when there wasn’t any rope to be 
wound by the windlass.” 

Dan’s eagerness to learn now increased with the 
passing days. He was determined to profit by the 
friendly advice of Mr. Hale. His own eagerness 
to learn was an additional incentive, born as it was 
of a daily increasing consciousness of his own defi- 
ciencies. His work in the classroom as yet was not 
sufficiently high to permit him to do his studying in 
his own room, but in his heart he was glad that 
the rule was enforced, for he thought that he could 
gain more in this way than if he had been left to 
himself. Dan’s mind did not work rapidly, but his 
steady and persistent efforts were already beginning 
to count and every passing week found him a little 
farther advanced. The work was hard and at times 
so discouraging to the new boy that he thought of 


he ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 197 


giving it all up and returning to the farm. How- 
ever, he did not refer to his feeling in the presence 
of his friends and fought so hard against it that the 
temptation to give up became less with the rapidly 
passing days. 

Most of his friends in his own form or class were 
also among those who were denied the privilege 
of studying in their rooms, Ned being the only one 
to have a standing sufficiently high to obtain the 
privilege. Hodge, Smith, Gus Kiggins, and Walter 
were loud in their complaints at being compelled 
to do their work under the eye of Mr. Hale. In- 
deed, Walter asserted repeatedly that he was denied 
the privilege because of a prejudice against him, 
instead of his being judged on the merits of his 
work. 

As for Gus, Dan soon found that the boy was 
so deeply interested in the work of the football 
team that apparently he had ignored or forgotten 
his anger at the new boy. The league between the 
four schools had been successfully arranged and the 
football games of the fall were to be included. The 
four officers of the league were made up of repre- 
sentatives of the different schools, Ned being the 
vice-president, while the Military Academy obtained 
the presidency by virtue of its success in the con- 
tests of the preceding year. 

Carlton Hall too had gathered courage to meet 
at least a part of his problems. Though it was 
difficult for him to learn to rely upon himself, he 


"Page 198 


he ‘Pennant 


had followed Dan’s advice and had no longer railed 
at the boys who made his life one of discomfort 
and his room difficult to live in. Even the threats 
of Gus Kiggins had, in a measure, ceased, for the 
school bully, in his deep interest in the work of the 
football team, had little time left for his petty tor- 
menting of the homesick and innocent little lad 
who had been placed in the school by his mother in 
the fond hope that there he would acquire what 
she could not conceal from herself he was not 
having under her weak and selfish indulgence. 

Occasionally Dan had been out on the diamond 
with Samson, the gym instructor and trainer, but 
the work had been only occasional. The trainer was 
also the coach of the eleven and his duties did not 
leave much spare time. On the other hand, Dan’s 
eagerness to work on his studies had caused him 
to make use of the occasional half-holidays in con- 
sulting with Mr. Hale or in studying in his own 
room. His success in striking out the three heavy 
hitters as he had on his first appearance on the 
diamond had established a certain reputation for 
him, which steadily grew. He was awkward in his 
manner and very quiet-spoken in his intercourse 
with his fellow students, although he was invariably 
pleasant in his dealings. As a consequence he had 
come to occupy a unique position in the life of the 
school. 

Great things were expected of him, as he very 
well knew, and yet, at the same time, though he 


c £f he ‘Pennant 


'Page 199 


was respected, he was not the intimate friend of 
any. Ned had been with him, perhaps, more than 
any other boy, and the two classmates were in the 
way of becoming fast friends. As for Walter, 
his enthusiasm had apparently reached its highest 
point at the beginning of the term and had been 
running down ever since. There were times when, 
to Dan, his presence in Walter’s room seemed to be 
a source of irritation which the latter was at no 
pains to conceal. Dan, after his usual quiet man- 
ner, did not refer to what he saw nor to his own 
feelings. He was still the same quiet earnest boy 
that he was when he had first entered the Tait 
School. 

He was troubled far more than he would acknowl- 
edge by the growing intimacy of Walter and Gus. 
The latter had been a frequent visitor in their 
rooms, where he either ignored Dan or made some 
slighting remark which was intended to hurt. But 
as Dan seldom retorted, the pleasure of the attempt 
was soon lost and of late it had been Walter who 
had made the visits, seeking out Gus’s room several 
times daily. Twice Dan ventured to remonstrate 
with his roommate, but each time Walter was angry, 
and as Dan discovered that his protests apparently 
did more harm than good he soon ceased his en- 
deavors, although he still was deeply troubled by 
the growing intimacy. 

In this manner the fall days passed and the 
settled routine of the life in the Tait School became 


‘ Page 200 


'Uhe Pennant 


less irksome to Dan. He was steadily improving 
in his work, a fact which was noted by Walter as 
well as by others. 

“ Dan, you’re just making a grind of yourself,” 
said Walter irritably one day when the two boys 
were by themselves in their room. 

“ Am I? ” asked Dan good-naturedly. 

“ Yes, you are. There are some things for a 
fellow to learn in school besides Latin and math.” 

“ Yes, I have noticed that,” said Dan quietly. 

“ Then, why don’t you pay some attention to 
them?” asked Walter sharply, his growing irrita- 
tion becoming still more manifest. “ I didn’t want 
to room with a ‘ chump.’ ” 

Dan’s face flushed, as in a low voice he said, 
“ What do you want me to do, Walter? ” 

“ Oh, stir around and do something. You’re 
never down to see the eleven at work. You didn’t 
even come out to yell when we played the Atlas 
High School off its feet. You just mope around over 
your books the whole time. I don’t believe you’ve 
been out enough to keep your arm in shape, now 
have you ? ” 

“ Not very often,” admitted Dan. 

“ Why don’t you do it? You know what the 
fellows expect. If you don’t make the nine I’ll be 
the laughing-stock of the whole school. Brace up, 
Dan! Gus Kiggins says ” 

“ What does he say ? ” inquired Dan as his room- 
mate hesitated. 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 201 


“ Oh, nothing much/' said Walter, laughing a 
little uneasily. “ I guess that Gus thinks about 
what all the fellows do.” 

“What’s that?” 

“ Look here, Dan. You’ve just got to get into 
the school life, and that’s all there is about it. 
You’re nothing but a grind.” 

“ If I were paying my own way I might feel dif- 
ferently.” 

“ Don’t bother your head about that. I guess 
my father won’t complain if I don’t. What he 
wants is to——” 

“ To what?” 

“ Oh, he’ll be satisfied if I am,” declared Walter 
lightly. “ Why don’t you come out to-morrow and 
get a look at the team? We play the Military 
Academy next week, you know, and we want every 
fellow on deck. It’s our hardest game. If you 
don’t show any school spirit how do you think the 
fellows will feel when it’s your turn? You’ll want 
backing when you’re pitching against the Military 
Academy nine.” 

“ I’ll come if you want me to,” said Dan quietly. 

But ” Dan stopped abruptly as Gus Kiggins 

entered the room. 


‘Page 202 


^he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XXI 

dan's troubles 

H OW’S your shadow ? ” asked Gus, as he seated 
himself in an easy-chair and looked at Dan. 
“ My shadow ? ” inquired Dan. “ I don’t know 
what you mean.” 

“ Oh, that little white-livered milksop that tags 
you most of the time. For my part, I think he 
needs a nurse-maid.” 

“ You mean that little fellow in the fourth form — 
Carlton Hall?” 

“ I guess that’s his name,” laughed Gus. “ It 
rhymes with bawl. He ought never to have left 
his mother. He’s a mamma’s darling all right, 
though he seems to have taken you up in her place. 
What do you get for looking after his nursing- 
bottle?” 

For several weeks, indeed ever since the time 
when Dan had interfered with the school bully in 
his tormenting little Carlton Hall, Gus to all ap- 
pearances had ignored or forgotten the ill will which 
he had manifested for the new member of his own 
class. He had been indifferent rather than openly 
unfriendly, and Dan had been well content to be left 
alone. His dislike for his rough and brutal class- 


^he Pennant 


*Page 203 


mate had become stronger as he noticed his growing 
intimacy with Walter, who was quickly and easily 
influenced by his surroundings. Dan now under- 
stood a part of the reason why Mr. Borden had 
offered to send him to the Tait School though he 
grimly resolved never to betray his knowledge to 
anyone, least of all to Walter. 

The present visit and sneering words of Gus 
were somewhat unexpected and Dan suspected that 
there was more behind them than he was able to 
see at the present time. His voice did not betray 
his anger at the contemptuous question of his 
visitor and without further conversation he quietly 
prepared to leave the room. 

“ Where you going, Dan ? ” said Walter. 

“ Don’t hinder little Carlton’s nurse,” laughed 
Gus. “ The poor child may need his bottle. He 
wants somebody to play with him. Don’t you know 
that good little boys die young?” 

“ What’s the matter with you, Gus ? ” demanded 
Walter, nevertheless laughing at the taunting words 
of his classmate. 

“Nothing the matter with me!” declared Gus. 
“ I’m fit. I was never in better form in my life. 
I wish the game with the Military Academy was to- 
morrow instead of a week from Saturday. I want 
a chance to line up against Hackett. Last year he 
served me a trick that I haven’t forgotten. No one 
ever does that to me and lives to tell the tale.” As 
he spoke, the bully looked brutally at Dan, as if 


•Page 204 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


there was some vague and implied threat in his 
words. 

“ You’re enough for any fellow in the school,” 
laughed Walter. 

“ Am I ? Well, you tell your rube roommate 
that if he can keep his little friend’s mouth shut he'll 
be doing him a mighty friendly turn. It will be 
better for everybody concerned.” 

“ What has he been doing now ? ” 

“ Setting Mr. Hale after me,” said Gus angrily. 
“ What do you think is the latest ? ” 

“ I haven’t any idea,” replied Walter. “ What 
is it? ” 

“ Hale told me that if any more trouble was made 
in pretty little Carlton’s room one or two members 
of the team would be shut out from the games.” 

“ Did he mean you ? ” 

“ I guess so. If he didn’t, why did he speak to 
me in that way ? ” 

“ You know better than I do,” laughed Walter, as 
Dan looked steadily at their visitor, though he did 
not speak. 

“ Don’t let me keep you,” continued Gus, look- 
ing again at Dan. “ Why do you linger so long? If 
you want to go and play horse or Injun with your 
little pal, don’t let me prevent you. My only 
suggestion is that you tell the nice little boy that 
if he * blabs ’ on me again he will want to arrange 
for the coroner. And so will anyone who tries to 
set him up to such tricks.” 


'Uhe 'Pennant 


‘Page 205 


Gus’s face flushed an angry red as he spoke 
directly to Dan, while Walter was looking in won- 
der first at one boy and then at the other. 

“ The little fellow has a right to protect him- 
self, ” said Dan quietly. 

“ ‘ Protect himself ’ ! ” said Gus scornfully. 
“ There isn’t any place in the Tait School for a 
telltale.” 

“ How much of a place is there for a coward 
who picks out some little chap who can’t defend 
himself and spends his time picking on him?” 

“ Do you say I am a coward ? ” shouted Gus, 
drawing back his fist threateningly. 

“ You know better than I do,” retorted Dan 
quietly. “ I’m sorry if Carlton has been telling Mr. 
Hale about your dirty tricks. I don’t believe he 
has, but even if he did, he wasn’t going beyond his 
rights. His mother pays a lot of money to send 
him here and she has a right to expect that her 
boy shall get her money’s worth. If any fellow 
tries to ” 

“ Do you say I am a coward ? ” Gus again broke 
in loudly. 

“ I haven’t said so.” 

“ Yes, you have ! You feel mighty safe to talk 
that way here in the dormitory where the teachers 
can hear everything. Come on down to the field ! 
I’ll show you whether I’m a coward or not! I’ll 
meet you any time you say ! ” Gus raised his voice 
and fairly shouted his defiance. 


Vage 206 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ You talk like a brave man,” said Dan in a low 
voice. 

“ I’m no mucker anyway ! ” 

“Aren’t you? You might ask some of the boys 
what they think.” 

“ Come on ! ” 

“ With you ? You get out of this room ! ” 

“ Perhaps you’ll put me out,” sneered Gus. “ Or 
no, perhaps you’ll run and cry. Go tell Mr. Sharp, 
he’s in charge of this hall. Tell him to come and 
help you. That’s what you’ve been setting up your 
baby to do. I know you ! You’ve set him up to tell 
tales of me, so that you could get me in trouble 
and you wouldn’t have to do any work to get a 

place on the nine this spring ” 

“Will you leave the room?” broke in Dan. 
“When I get ready. Want me to go before?” 
Dan waited to hear no more. He turned sud- 
denly and seized the bully by the back and before 
Gus was able to realize the situation he was out 
of the room. But the school bully was a powerful 
boy, and was twisting and turning in his efforts to 
break the hold of Dan. As the two struggling 
boys came into the hall they found themselves face 
to face with Mr. Sharp. Instantly they released 
their grasp and, with an air of apparent indiffer- 
ence, Gus said, “ All right, Richards, I’ll see 
you again.” The boy tried to speak indifferently, 
although his breathing was labored and his face 
betrayed his anger. 



t € 


You get out of this room ! 


9 9 


‘Page 206 



























- 































4 

























































he ‘Pennant 


Vage 207 


“ What is the meaning of this, young gentle- 
men?” demanded Mr. Sharp, as he looked at the 
boys. The teacher was a mild-mannered, inoffen- 
sive man, whose dealings with the boys lacked many 
of the qualities that had made Mr. Hale respected 
as well as beloved by all the students in the school. 
“ Don’t you know that scuffling in the rooms and in 
the halls is forbidden ? ” 

“ Yes, sir,” answered Dan. 

“ I am surprised at you, Richards,” continued 
Mr. Sharp, his face betraying an increasing annoy- 
ance. “ This is the first time I have known of your 
breaking the school rules.” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ What have you to say for yourself? ” 

“ I’m afraid there isn’t anything to be said, Mr. 
Sharp.” 

“ What have you to say, Kiggins ? ” demanded 
the teacher irritably. 

“ We were only fooling,” muttered Gus. 

“That’s the way it was, Mr. Sharp!” spoke up 
Walter. “ They didn’t mean to break the rules. 
It isn’t study-hour ” 

“ That makes no difference,” interrupted Mr. 
Sharp. “ I shall give you each ten marks and 
place you both on the ‘ limits ’ for a week.” 

“ But I’m on the eleven, Mr. Sharp,” protested 
Gus. “ That will keep me from practising with the 
team and we’re to play the Military Academy next 
week.” Twenty-five marks caused a boy to be 


*Page 208 


c Che ‘Pennant 


suspended, and to be given “ the limits ” was to pre- 
vent him from leaving the school grounds, even to 
go to the athletic field during the days for which 
the sentence was declared. 

“You should have thought of that,” said Mr. 
Sharp. 

“ But I must go. There isn’t any other way. I’ll 
appeal to the doctor.” 

“A repetition of such a threat will bring you 
ten marks more,” said Mr. Sharp pettishly. “ Go to 
your room and remain there until the bell rings 
for supper! I am deeply chagrined to find you, 
Richards, in such a scrape as this,” the teacher 
again said as he turned to Dan. “ I expected better 
things of you.” 

Dan did not reply and in a brief time he and 
Walter entered their room and closed the door. 

“ That’s a smart trick you’ve played this time, 
Dan Richards,” said Walter fiercely when the two 
boys were by themselves. 

“ I haven’t played any trick.” 

“ What did you order Gus to leave the room 
for?” 

“ I wanted him to get out.” 

“ But you didn’t have any business to tell him 
that. Remember, this is my room. When I want 
a fellow to leave I’ll tell him to go. I sha’n’t ask 
you.” 

“ I don’t remember that I asked you.” 

“ You didn’t. That’s half the trouble.” 


^he ‘Pennant 


• Page 209 


“ Well, Gus Kiggins went, didn't he ? ” asked 
Dan grimly. 

“ You caught him when he wasn’t looking. 
You’ve got yourself in a mess now. A week’s 
‘ limits ’ and ten marks ! You’ll think that’s a picnic 
though compared with what Gus will do to you. 
He’s the best boxer in the school.” 

“ So I have heard.” 

“ Look here, Dan ; we might as well have this 
out now as any time. If you think you’re going 
to order my friends out of my room any time you 
take a notion you’re mistaken, that’s all! I won’t 
stand for it.” 

“ Walter, you’d better draw a line through the 
room then; if you want to you can have such 
fellows as Gus Kiggins on your side. I simply don’t 
want him on my side of the line.” 

“ Who pays for this room ? ” 

“ Your father, as I have frequently heard you 
say.” 

“ Well, he pays for the whole room, doesn’t he? ” 

“ Yes — half of it for you and half for me. If I 
had known what I had to put up with, you might 
have had a roommate like Gus Kiggins.” 

“ He isn’t the only fellow in school that has 
ten marks and the ‘ limits ’ for a week.” 

“ That’s right,” assented Dan quietly. 

“ I guess my father will think it’s a toss up.” 

“ He’ll soon know.” 

“ How ? Are you going to tell my father about 

o 


‘Page 2/0 


e Uhe c Pennant 


him?” asked Walter, his alarm betraying itself in 
his manner. 

“ I sha’n’t mention the name of Gus Kiggins. 
I shall write your father about my part.” 

“ But you might as well tell him about Gus. He’ll 
know just as soon as he hears from you.” 

“ Very well. Will you write him then? ” 

“I? Why should I write him?” 

“ I thought you thought it was better for you to 
write than for me.” 

“Will you write if I don’t?” 

“ I shall.” 

“ I’d like to know why ? ” 

“ Because I want him to have the facts — that’s 
all.” 

“ Then I’ll write him,” said Walter hastily. 

“ All right.” 

“ And look here, Dan. I didn’t just mean what 
I said. I don’t want to be a cad. I didn’t — I wish 
I hadn’t said what I did.” 

“ About what ? ” 

“ You know,” said Walter foolishly. “ I mean 
about the room.” 

“ I understand,” said Dan in a low voice. 

“ I was just a little worried, Dan. Gus Kiggins 
has his faults, but then he isn’t the worst fellow 
in school. But I don’t want you to have any 
trouble ” 

“ Why not?” 

“ He’s the best fighter in school.” 


C CT /i e ‘Pennant 


‘Page 211 


“You mean best or worst?” 

“ Either,” replied Walter, with an uneasy laugh. 
“ I don’t want you to queer yourself.” 

“ I don’t want to myself,” said Dan good- 
naturedly. 


‘Page 212 


c 'Che ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XXII 

CHANGED RELATIONS 

T HE relations between Dan and Walter were 
daily becoming more strained. Gus Kig- 
gins was a less frequent visitor than he had been 
formerly, but Dan was convinced that this simply 
meant that Walter was spending more time in the 
room or company of the boy for whom Dan had 
formed an intense dislike. The threatened trouble 
between himself and Gus apparently had vanished 
and even little Carlton Hall was not troubled as he 
formerly had been. The lad was a bright little fel- 
low and in the classroom was already making a 
reputation for his quickness. Now that his first 
feeling of homesickness was gone and there had 
come a comparative freedom from his tormentors, 
Carlton was entering more fully into the spirit of 
the life of the school. 

For Dan the little fellow’s admiration, as well as 
his devotion, steadily increased. More and more 
Carlton sought Dan’s room and company. If Wal- 
ter objected, he did not say so, though his uncon- 
cealed contempt was not lacking. But Dan and 
Walter, though they occupied the same rooms, were 
no longer such warm friends as once they had been. 


‘C he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 213 


There were not many times when the boys quar- 
reled. It was rather an absence of all friendly 
relations that marked their daily lives. 

As the weeks passed Dan’s steady work began to 
tell. After the Christmas vacation he was among 
the few boys of his class who were permitted to 
study in their rooms instead of in the study-room, 
where the other boys assembled every afternoon 
and evening and did their work under the direction 
of a teacher, who for Dan’s class was Mr. Sharp. 
At first Dan had almost decided to keep on with 
his work in the study-room, because of his feeling 
that he could do better work there, but his lack 
of respect for this particular teacher finally led him 
to accept the privilege and his study-hours were 
therefore spent in the quiet of his own room. 

A strong friendship had sprung up between 
Hodge, Ned, Smith, and Dan. At the Christmas 
holidays the three boys had been visitors in Dan’s 
home in Rodman. The country life in winter had 
been so new and novel to the visitors that the three 
boys had highly enjoyed their vacation-time. The 
fact that Dan’s home was a humble one apparently 
only served to increase the feeling of friendliness 
which they had for Dan, while for his quiet little 
mother everyone had an admiration that was as 
strong as the respe^and affection for her boy. Dan 
had urged Walter to come to Rodman with his 
friends, but the latter had curtly declined and Dan 
had not repeated the invitation. 


' Page 214 


he ‘Pennant 


On the train which the four boys took when the 
day of departure from Rodman arrived, Dan and 
Ned were seated together. The enthusiasm of 
Dan’s friends over their visit was keen and in 
course of their conversation Ned said to Dan: “ It’s 
simply great! I never coasted right over the tops 
of fences before. The crust was hard enough to 
hold up a horse.” 

“ The coasting is all right,” replied Dan lightly. 
“ It is the snow-shovel that is the instrument of 
torture. When you have shoveled through two 
or three of those eight-foot drifts you lose a little 
of your enthusiasm for snow that sometimes comes 
in November and stays right with us till April. 
Last year we had a hundred and forty-three days 
of sleighing.” 

“Great!” exclaimed Ned. “That is what puts 
the breath of life into you. I can understand now 
where you get some of the nerve you’ve shown.” 

Nerve ’ ! I don’t know that I have any nerve.” 

“ Well, you have, whether you know it or not.” 

“ I guess it’s because you’re my friend that you 
say that.” 

“ Not a bit. It takes nerve to do what you’re 
doing.” 

“ I don’t see how.” 

“ Look here, Dan, I know it’s none of my busi- 
ness, but I’ve sometimes been afraid you’d leave 
school.” 

“Why should I?” asked Dan, though his face 


‘C’/te ‘Pennant 


' Page 215 


betrayed something of his feeling, which was not 
altogether surprise. 

“ Why, we all know — it’s none of my business,” 
said Ned lamely. “ I don’t suppose I ought to 
speak of such things.” 

“ Go ahead,” said Dan quietly. 

“ Well, you know,” said Ned hesitatingly, “ all 
the fellows understand how it is that you are in 
the Tait School.” 

“ That Mr. Borden pays my way ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ I didn’t ask him.” 

“Of course you didn’t. Everybody knows that, 
and what we’ve been afraid of, now that Walter has 
shown himself to be such a chump, was that you — 
that if he didn’t quit — that some day you’d— — ” 

“ I’d what ? ” inquired Dan, aware of his friend’s 
confusion. 

“ Oh, that you’d quit and call the whole thing 
off,” said Ned. * 

“Would you?” 

“ I don’t know,” replied Ned in a low voice. 

“ I have thought of it,” said Dan quietly. 

“ We all know that. But don’t you do it.” 

“ Why not?” 

“ We’ll need you in the pitcher’s box, for one 
thing.” 

“ That’s what Walter thought when he got his 
father to take me up. You know Walter was be- 
hind the whole thing.” 


‘Page 216 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ It isn’t his fault or Gus Kiggins’ either if we 
don’t know it,” said Ned angrily. 

“ What does Gus say ? ” 

“ You know what he says.” 

“ That I’m a charity patient.” 

“ Nobody pays any attention to what he says, 
anyway,” said Ned. 

“ I’m not so sure of that. Honestly, Ned, what 
would you do if you were in my place?” asked 
Dan quietly. 

“ I don’t know, though I know what I want you 
to do.” 

“ Stay on ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ And put up with what Gus Kiggins says and 
does ? ” 

“ He doesn’t count for much.” 

“Then, with what Walter says?” 

“ That’s harder, I’ll own up ; but ” 

“ But what?” 

“What does Mr. Borden say?” 

“ Nothing. He hasn’t said a word.” 

“ Have you said anything to him ? ” 

“ Not yet.” 

“ Then don’t.” 

“ Look here, Ned,” said Dan, turning about in 
the seat and facing his companion, “ I’ll tell you that 
sometimes the whole affair is more than I can 
stand. I didn’t ask to come. I had a little money 
saved and I was going to the normal school. I 


he ‘Pennant 


• Page 217 


wish now I had and hadn’t taken a cent from Mr. 
Borden. But he came to me and told me it was 
all pure sentiment on my part that made me draw 
back. He went on to say that he hadn’t any foolish 
notions about such things, that in his business he 
depended a good deal upon the things his friends 
could throw his way, and that he never refused 
any of them because of any such feelings as I pre- 
tended to have. Then he told me that I could look 
upon it as a pure matter of business. That Walter 
was a spoiled boy and that it would be worth a 
good deal more to him' — I mean Mr. Borden — to 
pay what my term bills would cost just to have me 
room with Walter. Of course, I wanted to come, 
and when he put it in that light I couldn’t find 
any reason why I shouldn’t take up with his offer.” 

“ There wasn’t any reason ! ” exclaimed Ned 
warmly. 

“ Perhaps not — and yet as a business proposition, 
look at it for a minute. It isn’t very modest of me 
to say so, but Mr. Borden thought — or at least 
he implied— that what influence I had over Walter 
would pay what it might cost his father to have 
me room with him. But look at it! You all say 
that Walter is a ‘ chump.’ He’s away down in his 
classes and if I should suggest to him to do certain 
things that would be the surest way of getting him 
to do just the opposite. Walter doesn’t like me. 
He chums with Gus Kiggins ” 

“He doesn’t stick to anything very long, and there 


‘ Page 218 


4 £T he ‘Pennant 


isn’t any reason for believing that Gus will be an 
exception.” 

“ I am not sure of that. Gus seems to have 
him under his thumb.” 

“ Get him out from under it.” 

“ How?” 

“ Can’t some of us help? ” 

“ How ? ” again inquired Dan with a smile. 

“ Oh, we can have a talk with Walter, or we 
can put it up to Gus.” 

“ No,” said Dan. “ Perhaps a word with Walter 
sometime, if it came in all right might be a good 
thing, but I don’t want you to say anything to Gus.” 

“ Why not?” 

“ It would make a bad matter worse. You see, 
this is a part of my course, I guess. I’ve had to 
learn a lot of things ” 

“ You’re learning them all right,” broke in Ned. 
“ You’re in the first division now, and can study in 
your room ” 

“ I don’t mean that.” 

“ What do you mean then ? ” 

“ Oh, some other things. I’ve had a lot to learn. 
I’ve lived on a farm all my life, and there, you 
know, they don’t always do things just as you fel- 
lows do who have been brought up in the city.” 

“ What of it?” 

“ A whole lot of it. You don’t understand be- 
cause you’ve always had them. But I’ve had to 
keep my eyes open, and even then I find I’m doing 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 219 


something that makes my cheeks burn. The first 
night I was in the school Walter had to tell me to 
put my butter on my butter-plate, not on ” 

“ The chump ! ” broke in Ned. 

“No; he meant it all right. I guess I deserved 
it and a good deal more. Perhaps if I learn these 
little things now I sha’n’t have to learn them later 
when it would be a good deal harder for me.” 

“ You make too much of such things.” 

“ Do I?” 

“ Yes, you do. Nobody thinks of them except 
you.” 

“ They don’t have to.” 

“ You’re all right now, anyway, Dan.” 

Dan smiled and did not reply, though the words of 
his friend were far more comforting than Ned 
could understand. 

“ There’s one way out of it,” continued Ned. 

“ What is that ? ” 

“ You give Gus all that is coming to him. You 
can do it ! You ” 

“ What do you mean ? ” 

“ Thrash him.” 

Dan threw back his head and laughed. “What 
good would that do?” he inquired. “Perhaps I 
couldn’t do it. He’s about the best boxer in school.” 

“ I’d risk it.” 

“That’s good of you,” said Dan dryly. “My 
grandfather told me once that when he was a little 
fellow his older brothers tried to get him to rob 


‘Page 220 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


a bumblebee’s nest they’d found in the hay-field. 
When he said he was afraid the bees would 
sting him, the boys told him to go ahead, 4 They’d 
risk it.” 

Ned laughed as he said, “ And you think I’d be 
willing to take the risk if you took on Gus?” 

“ I didn’t say that.” 

“ No, you didn’t ; but you implied it. I’m not 
afraid of Gus Kiggins.” 

“ I wasn’t thinking about him.” 

“What are you afraid of then?” 

“ Myself. Suppose I should fight him, and then 
suppose I did succeed in whipping him — and that’s 
something I’m not a bit sure of — what would I 
prove ? ” 

“ You’d put him where he belongs, anyway.” 

“ I told you I wasn’t thinking about him. I was 
thinking of myself.” 

“ A fellow isn’t called upon to stand everything.” 

“ That’s right.” 

“ And yet you say you won’t even defend your- 
self.” 

"Did I say that?” 

“ That’s what you meant.” 

“ Hardly,” said Dan with a smile. 

“ Well, whatever you decide to do, promise me 
you won’t do anything before you tell me.” 

“ I promise you as far as Walter and Mr. Borden 
are concerned.” 

“ All right. That’s all I want. Hello, here we 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


"Page 221 


are at the Junction. Some of the fellows ought to 
get on here. There are some of them,” Ned added 
as he arose in his seat and peered from the win- 
dow of the car. “ Here comes Gus Kiggins him- 
self ! ” he added hastily. 

Several boys noisily entered the car, Gus leading 
the crowd. As he caught sight of the four boys he 
hastened down the aisle and, stopping in front of 
Dan, looked insolently at him and then in his loudest 
tones began to shout, “ Co’ boss ! Co’ boss ! Co’ 
boss ! ” 


‘Page 222 


“Che Pennant 


CHAPTER XXIII 

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR 

A BOVE the noisy greetings of the boys the 
sneering words of Gus Kiggins were plainly 
heard. Instinctively the boys turned and looked 
at Dan, but if he was aware of the taunt he did 
not manifest his feelings, except that his face flushed 
slightly. 

“ How did you find the hog business, Gus ? ” in- 
quired Ned angrily, as he faced the boisterous bully. 

“ You’ve said enough about that,” retorted Gus 
hotly. 

“Have I?” laughed Ned, quick to see the im- 
pression he had made. “ If I have I am glad of 
it. It’s about the only way one can drive an idea 
into some heads, you know.” Ned spoke quietly, but 
his anger was evident to all the boys. 

“ At any rate I don’t carry the marks of my trade 
around with me ! ” declared Gus. “ I don’t wear 
pigskin boots ” 

“ You don’t have to wear them,” broke in Ned 
glibly. 

“What are you fellows laughing at?” demanded 
Gus fiercely, as he turned to face the boys, who 
had broken into a shout at Ned’s words. 


‘Tjhe ‘Pennant 


<Page 223 


“ I don’t see anything funny in what Ned said.” 

“ That’s the funniest part of the whole thing, 
Gus,” said Hodge. 

“ Well, I guess if I wanted to I could rake up 
some things about everyone of you that wouldn’t 
sound very pretty.” 

“ Go ahead,” called Smith. 

“ Is that the reason why you called out as you 
did when you came into the car? ” asked Ned. 

“He looked the part. That’s why I said what I 
did.” 

“ Every man does that more or less. My father 
says he can tell a preacher before the man says a 
word. So he can pick out a lawyer or a business 
man before a word is spoken. I suppose a fellow 
that comes from the country does carry around with 
him a few of the marks of his trade the same as 
everyone does, but if I lived where Dan does I 
wouldn’t think of apologizing. I’d be proud of it. 
Gus, does a man that makes his living sticking hogs 
come to look like his trade the same as a preacher 
or a lawyer or a business man ? ” 

A shout of laughter caused Ned to look about 
him in pretended astonishment. Gus Kiggins 
settled back in his seat, his face glowering with 
anger. But he soon became silent, as he well knew 
that he was no match for Ned in such a contest. 

“ Queer about Gus,” said Ned to Dan after the 
journey was resumed. “ Last year he wasn’t so 
bad.” 


‘ Page 224 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ What has changed him ? ” inquired Dan. 

“ I give it up. He seems to be almost insanely 
jealous of you.” 

“ Of me ? ” Dan laughed a little bitterly as he 
spoke. “ I know, of course, that he hates me, but 
I hadn’t thought of his being jealous. What have I 
got to make him feel that way ? ” 

“ An arm,” laughed Ned. 

‘‘You mean my pitching arm?” 

“ Of course. You know, he had it all fixed, as he 
thought, to be the pitcher on the nine this spring.” 

“ He may be yet,” said Dan quietly. 

“Not much!” exclaimed Ned warmly. “We’ve 
got a fellow to occupy the box this spring who 
could give points to the best pitcher in the country.” 

“ That’s what Si — he’s the harness-maker at 
Rodman, you know — is all the time saying,” laughed 
Dan, his good nature now having been restored. 
“ He wants to have the New Yorks come up to 
play the nine at Rodman. He seems to think they’d 
be surprised.” 

“ Well, it’s not quite so bad as that,” said Ned 
lightly. “ But I know we’ve a mighty good pitcher 
for the Tait School nine this spring. And don’t 
you forget it, either! Don’t you go into any fool 
business. Just grit your teeth and hang on. Every- 
thing will come out all right this spring. Gus Kig- 
gins’ jealousy is not very comfortable, but it never 
killed anyone yet. He hasn’t got friends enough in 
the school to elect him dishwasher.” 


‘C’/je ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 225 


“ Probably he doesn’t want that job,” said Dan 
smilingly. “ And yet there isn’t a finer-looking fel- 
low in school. Just look at his shoulders now.” 

Ned glanced at Gus, who was seated in the end 
of the car. “ Yes, he’s got the shoulders and the 
muscle. He’s all right until you get up to his head. 
Last year he was a fairly decent fellow in spite of 
his dirty work on the football team. This year 
he cut out his low-down tricks, but he seems to be 
letting it out in other ways.” 

“ The eleven did fairly well,” suggested Dan. 

“ Tied the Atlas High School for third place,” 
laughed Ned. “ We’ll say that the St. John’s School 
really was lowest. They can’t deny it, either. But 
when the baseball season opens, then just keep an 
eye on the Tait School nine! The first game will 
be an eye-opener ! No one knows what a ‘ find ’ we 
have in the pitcher’s box.” 

“ Don’t you think the school league is a good 
thing ? ” 

/‘Fine! We weren’t in shape for football, that’s 
all. We’ll make it up though when it comes to 
baseball! Next year we’ll be all ready for hockey 
and basket-ball. I think that we’ll be able to ar- 
range for a track meet this spring too. Ever do 
anything on the track, Dan ? ” 

“ I never did.” 

“ You never tried, you mean,” laughed Ned. 

“ I never tried, then. I guess I can ‘ run ’ 
though,” said Dan dryly. 

p 


‘Page 226 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


“ I guess you can too, though not in the way you 
mean. I don’t believe you know how to run away. 
Don’t you ever learn, either. But when it comes to 
running for something, that’s another story. I tell 
you, Dan, there’s nothing like it! When a lialf- 
dozen fellows are all bunched on the track and every- 
one is putting out every ounce of strength he’s got 
and the tape isn’t more than ten yards away and 
the fellows are all yelling like mad and you can feel 
that the sprinter from the High School or the Mili- 
tary Academy is right on your heels, even when you 
don’t, for the life of you, dare to look behind you — 
why, I’m telling you, Dan Richards, there are 
mighty few things in life to be compared with it! 
I think I’m a fairly good sprinter. I can do the 
hundred in ten-three. But I believe you can do 
better than that. You’re just built for a runner.” 

“ Didn’t I tell you I could ‘ run ’ ? ” asked Dan 
dryly. 

“ That’s all right,” replied Ned lightly. “ I know 
what you mean.” 

“ Well, I’m glad you do,” said Dan soberly. 
“ I’m not at all sure that I do.” 

“ You just keep on sawing wood, that’s all you 
have to do.” 

“ Or calling ‘ co, boss,’ ” said Dan a little bitterly 
as he saw Gus Kiggins rise from his seat. 

“ Don’t think of it. That pork chop isn’t worth 
wasting your time on! Just leave him alone.” 

“ I’d like to, if he will leave me alone.” 


Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 227 


“He will,” said Ned positively. “We’ll attend 
to him.” 

Whether or not it was due to the “ attentions ” 
of Ned and his friends, Dan was as pleased as he 
was surprised, as the days of the winter term 
passed, to find that Gus Kiggins seemed to avoid 
him. He seldom came to the room of Dan and 
Walter; and as for Walter, although he still was 
much in Gus’s company, he did not often have much 
to say to his roommate. Much as Dan would have 
liked to enter into Walter’s life more fully, he was 
too proud to betray his chagrin at the change which 
had now apparently become fixed in their relations. 
The old friendly feeling was gone and in its place 
had come a relation which simply made Walter 
apparently tolerate the presence in his rooms of the 
boy for whose coming he had been chiefly respon- 
sible. 

The monotony of the routine of the winter term 
was broken in March by a visit from Mr. Borden. 
Dan, who had not been informed by Walter of 
the expected visit, was surprised one afternoon 
when he entered his room to find Mr. Borden seated 
there. His first thought was that Walter had sent 
for his father and a feeling of anger arose in Dan’s 
heart. Why had he himself not written before his 
roommate could complain? Perhaps Mr. Borden 
had come for the purpose of explaining that his 
promise was now void. 

The greeting which Walter’s father gave him was 


Page 228 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


so quietly cordial that Dan was perplexed. He was 
not able entirely to conceal his embarrassment even 
when Mr. Borden bade him to be seated. “ When 
did you come, Mr. Borden? ” Dan inquired. 

“ I arrived this morning/’ replied the visitor 
quietly. 

“Have you seen Walter ?” 

“ Not yet.” Mr. Borden smiled as he saw Dan’s 
expression of surprise. “ I had a few things to 
attend to first before I could give any time to Wal- 
ter or you.” 

“ I’ll go out and find him for you,” said Dan, 
hastily rising as he spoke. 

“ Not quite yet, Dan. There are some things 
I want to say to you when Walter is not here.” 

“ Yes, sir.” Dan’s face flushed and his confusion 
was manifest. 

“ Do you know where Walter is now ? ” 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Haven’t you any idea? ” 

“ Probably he is with some of the boys. I’ll be 
glad to look him up if you would like to have me.” 

“ Not yet,” said Mr. Borden quietly. “ If you 
were to look him up for me, where would you go 
first to find him ? ” 

“ Why, in some one of the fellows’ rooms,” 
replied Dan, looking quickly at his visitor as he 
spoke. How much and what did Mr. Borden know ? 

“Would you go first to Gus Kiggins’ room?” 

“ Why, I might,” replied Dan lamely. 


C £T he ‘Pennant 


"Page 229 


“ I thought so. Dan, have you had any ‘ marks * 
against you ? ” 

“ Yes, sir. I’ve had ten.” 

“ Been put on the ‘ limits ’ ? ” 

“ Yes, sir,” answered Dan, his face flushing 
scarlet. 

“Do you mind telling me what for? Please do 
not think I am too inquisitive, but I should like to 
know the reasons.” 

“ M,r. Sharp said I was scuffling in the hall. That 
is against the rules, you know.” 

“ Yes, I know. If there is a rule against scuf- 
fling why did you break it ? ” 

“ I didn’t intend to break it, but I suppose I 
did,” said Dan lamely. 

“ Why ? ” persisted Mr. Borden. 

“ I haven’t any answer.” 

“ Would you put Gus Kiggins out of your room 
if the same thing happened again?” 

Dan glanced quickly at Mr. Borden, but the face 
of his visitor did not betray any feeling. “ I don’t 
know,” he said at last in a low voice. 

“In which division of the class are you, Dan?” 
Mr. Borden next inquired. 

“ The first.” 

“ That’s the first quarter of the class, isn’t it ? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Is Walter in that division? ” 

“ I don’t think he is — that is, he isn’t this term — 
I mean ” 


Vagc 230 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Will he be there next term ? ” 

“ I don’t know.” 

“ Do you expect him to be ? ” 

“ He could be — he might. He has a quicker mind 
than I have.” 

Still Mr. Borden’s face did not betray his real 
feelings. “ Dan,” he said abruptly, “ why didn’t 
you write me ? ” 

“About what, Mr. Borden?” 

“ Why didn’t you write me that letter you 
began ? ” 

“ How do you know I began a letter ? ” asked 
Dan in amazement. 

“ You began a letter to me in which you thanked 
me for what I had done for you, but you went on to 
say that you could not stay in the Tait School any 
longer.” 

“ How do you know ? ” asked the astounded Dan 
with crimson face. 

“ Never mind, Dan, how I know. Let me answer 
your unwritten letter by word of mouth. A bargain 
is a bargain and you have no right to go back upon 
it any more than I have.” 

“ But, Mr. Borden,” protested Dan, “ that wasn’t 
it. I didn’t feel that — I thought I couldn’t keep on 
— I didn’t want you to think ” 

“ Listen to me,” said Mr. Borden as Dan’s con- 
fusion became still more manifest. “ I understand 
how you feel. You thought you were accepting 
favors. You thought I believed that if you roomed 


“Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 231 


with Walter he would do better work. He hasn’t 
done better work and you thought you were not liv- 
ing up to your part. I sincerely trust that Walter 
has not been such a 4 cad ’ as to make you feel in 
any way that you were under obligations to him or 
me. 

As Dan was silent, Mr. Borden went on. “ Let 
me say right here, Dan, that I am more than satis- 
fied with my part. I know Walter and I think I 
know you. If at any time you want to leave him 
and room with some other boy, I shall not object. I 
don’t believe there is a better investment than put- 
ting money into men. If I could only buy for 
Walter what he needs I should not stop at the ex- 
pense. And, Dan, there’s another point.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“ Sometimes I think it is a better, a truer test of a 
real man to receive than it is to give. It’s harder 
sometimes too. But I’m talking with you about our 
bargain. I want you to stick to it. You will, I 
know. Ah, here comes Walter,” Mr. Borden added 
hastily as his boy entered the room. 

Dan at once departed and for an hour sat in the 
library holding a book but not reading a word. An 
hour later he returned to his room. As he entered 
he saw that Walter was alone, but his roommate 
sprang to his feet and his face was livid with anger 
as he faced Dan. 


<Page 232 


^ he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XXIV 

THE OPENING OF THE LEAGUE GAMES 

Y OU liar! You mucker! You low-down tell- 
tale !” shouted Walter, looking straight into 
the face of his roommate. “ I might have known 
you’d spy on me. That’s what all the fellows said 
you’d do ! And now you’ve done it ! ” 

Dan rose as Walter’s tirade continued. For a 
moment he looked steadily at the angry boy and, 
though his face was colorless, without a word he 
started toward the door. 

“ Hold on ! ” shouted Walter, springing in front 
of Dan and closing the door. “ You don’t crawl 
out that way! I’d like to know what you have to 
say for yourself. We’ll have this out right now 
while we’re at it. I’d like to know what you have 
to say for yourself ! ” 

“ About what?” 

“ About what I’ve just said.” 

“ You’ll have to explain yourself.” 

“ ‘ Explain ’ ; 4 Explain ’ ! ” retorted Walter. “ I 
‘ explain ’! You’re the one, I guess, to do the ex- 
plaining. Gus Kiggins says you can make a pet 
of a toad, but a toad will still be a toad to the end 
of the chapter, and I guess he’s about right.” 


e £T he ‘Pennant 


• Page 233 


“How about a hog, Walter?” The sneering 
query escaped Dan’s lips before he was fairly aware 
of what he had said. Deeply as he regretted his 
momentary failure to control his tongue he was 
aware that his provocation was great and that he 
had been most unjustly accused. 

“Who are you to talk about hogs?” demanded 
Walter. 

“ I know a little about them. We raised a few 
on the farm. They are interesting animals, Wal- 
ter, if you go at them in the right way.” 

“ That hasn’t anything to do with this matter. 
What I want to know is why you told my father.” 

“Told him what?” 

“ About me.” 

“ What did I tell him about you ? ” 

“ That’s just what I want to know.” 

“ Did he say that I told him anything?” 

“Of course he didn’t.” 

“ Then what are you talking about ? ” 

“ He knew a lot of things that he couldn’t have 
found out unless you told him.” 

“ Who said so ? Did Gus Kiggins ? ” 

“ I guess I know that without any of the fel- 
lows having to tell me.” 

“What did your father know?” 

“ He knew a lot of things. He told me that if I 
didn’t do better he would be compelled to take me 
out of school. He said he’d put me to work in the 
shops ! ” The expression of disgust that appeared 


‘Page 234 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


on Walter’s face as he referred to the “ shops ” in 
his father’s factory might have made Dan laugh at 
another time, but he felt no such inclination now. 
The matter was too serious. 

“ Look here, Walter!” said Dan. “Do you 
mean to tell me that you honestly believe I reported 
you to your father ? ” 

“ That’s the only way he could have found out 
some things.” 

“ Let me ask you a question. Do you know when 
your father came here ? ” 

“ Why, this afternoon, I suppose,” replied Walter 
in surprise. 

“ No, sir. He came on the eight-thirty train this 
morning.” 

“ He did ? Where was he all the forenoon ? ” 

“ I don’t know. He didn’t tell me. Couldn’t you 
guess ? ” 

“ I hadn’t thought of that,” said Walter slowly. 
“ When did you first see him? ” 

“ When I came into our room after the Latin 
hour.” 

“ That was only a few minutes before I came,” 
replied Walter, feeling relieved. 

“ Yes. As far as I recall, Walter, he asked me 
only one question.” 

“ What was that ? ” 

“ He asked my opinion about Gus Kiggins.” 

“ What did you say ? ” inquired Walter, looking 
anxiously into his roommate’s face. 


he ‘Pennant 


Tage 235 


“ Nothing that amounted to anything. I didn’t 
have to, even if I had wanted to, for he knew pretty 
much all about him. I would have just as good a 
right, Walter, to say that you told him about me as 
you have to say that I told, for he asked me about 
those ten marks Mr. Sharp gave me and he knew 
too, that I’d been on the ‘ limits.’ Did you tell him, 
Walter?” 

“Of course I didn’t. You know that as well as 
I do.” Walter’s voice was different now and there 
were traces of a smile about the comers of his 
mouth.” 

“ I’m sure you didn’t,” said Dan warmly. 

“ The ‘ old boy ’ is nobody’s fool ” 

“ The who ? ” interrupted Dan sharply. 

“ Oh, my father, if that’s what you want me to 
say.” 

“ Look here, Walter, I haven’t any father. When 
I see some of you fellows with yours, do you know 
there’s nothing in all the world that I want deep 
down in my heart as I do what you’ve got and I 
haven’t. But if I did have one, and he was a man as 
true and interested as your father is and did as 
much for me as your father does for you, it doesn’t 
seem to me that I’d speak disrespectfully of him 
or let any other fellow do it, either.” 

“ Oh, he’s all right,” said Walter flippantly. “ He 
means to do the right thing. I understand that as 
well as you do. The greatest trouble is that he 
doesn’t just understand a fellow ” 


‘ Page 236 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ Maybe a part of the trouble, Walter, is because 
he does understand. Ever thought of that ? ” 

“ No, that isn’t the way of it. My mother does.” 
Dan smiled as he recalled the weak and somewhat 
vain little woman who thought she was manifesting 
a greater love for her boy because she upheld and 
defended him right or wrong. “Of course I know,” 
resumed Walter, “ that my father is a mighty smart 
man. It takes a cool hand to get ahead of him. 
He’s the best business man in his line. Why, Dan, 
he’s built up the business his father left him till 
now he has just four times as many men in the 
shops as he had when he began. When you say 
that he had been here all the mornitig, why, that 
puts things in a different light. He probably ‘ got 
busy.’ Understand, Dan, that I didn’t really mean 
to accuse you of going to him with stories about me, 
though you’ll have to own up that it did look a 
bit suspicious when I found him alone with you 
and that he knew all about me.” 


^he ^Pennant 


‘Page 237 


CHAPTER XXV 

A PLOT 

D ID you suspect me before Gus Kiggins told 
you to?” 

“ Now, look here, Dan Richards, you’re making 
a fool of yourself ! Don’t you suppose I ever have 
an idea of my own ? ” 

“ I do.” 

“ You don’t act as if you did. Look here, Dan, 
what’s the trouble between you and Gus, any- 
way? Are you jealous of him?” 

“ Not to my knowledge,” replied Dan with a 
smile. 

“ He thinks you are.” 

“ You can put his mind at ease on that score.” 

“ Then what is it? Are you afraid of him? ” 

“ Now you’ve found it.” 

“ You are? He thinks you are, but I never would 
have believed it of you.” 

“ I am.” 

“ He is a powerful brute.” 

“ I agree with you.” 

“And he’s the best boxer in the school.” 

“ That’s what I’ve heard,” said Dan quietly. 

“ Well, I don’t know that I blame you,” laughed 


Page 238 


c&he ‘Pennant 


Walter. “ He isn’t exactly the kind of a chap I’d 
like to run up against on a dark street when I was 
all alone.” 

“ I’m more afraid of him in the daytime when 
he’s with others.” 

“ What do you mean by that? ” demanded Walter 
sharply. 

“ You know what I mean.” 

“ No, I don’t.” 

“ Look here, Walter,” said Dan earnestly. “ I 
don’t mean to preach to you. I know I’m only a 
countryman and you’ve had lots of chances that I 
haven’t. But if I had as clear and quick a mind as 
you have andv then had such chances to develop 
it as you have here in this school, do you know what 
I’d do?” 

“Yes. You’d buckle down to work.” 

“ I certainly should.” 

“ You don’t know everything, Dan,” said Walter, 
his pleasure at his roommate’s words arousing his 
good nature, as unstinted praise never failed to do. 
“ I hate the stuff we’re getting here. Latin and 
algebra and physics! Bah! They make me sick. 
What good are they anyway? We’ll never use 
them again after we get out of this old trap.” 

“ Walter, did you ever see a fireman shoveling 
coal under the boiler of a locomotive?” 

“ Occasionally,” laughed Walter. 

“ What do you suppose he does it for ? ” 

“ Oh, for about sixty or seventy dollars a month.” 


A* 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 239 


“ Well, even if that is so, why does the company 
pay him that to do that work ? ” 

“ To heat up the boiler and get up steam.” 

“Precisely. He doesn’t shovel that coal to get 
more coal or because he expects to use that coal 
again, does he ? ” 

“ What are you driving at anyway ? ” 

“ I may be all wrong, but my idea is something 
like this — just as a fireman shovels the coal, not to 
get more coal but to get steam, so I think the work 
here is not to get things we’ll use again, but to get 
or do things that will give us ” 

“ Steam?” broke in Walter with a laugh. 

“Yes, sir! That’s it exactly. I’ve a funny idea 
that when a fellow shirks or dodges his work he’s 
really the fellow to suffer. He doesn’t cheat the 
teacher half so much as he cheats himself. He’s 
just subtracting that much power from himself, 
that’s all.” 

“ Dan, you’re a funny chap.” 

“ I know it, but I don’t believe I’m half so 
‘ funny ’ as the fellow is who throws away such 
chances as he has here in the Tait School.” 

“ I shouldn’t be surprised if you were right. I 
wish I were like you, Dan. It’s easy for some fel- 
lows. But then you’ve got everything to get and 
I’ve got everything without any getting. My pater 
has more money than he knows what to do with; 
he’s got a big business and I’ll have a share in that 
by and by ” 


•Page 240 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


“If you’re strong enough and able to hold it,” 
broke in Dan. 

“ I’m not afraid of that. I’ll give you a job some 
day, maybe, but I know it would please the old 
folks at home if I should take hold; I’m half in- 
clined to try it.” 

Perhaps the fact that Walter was only “ half ” 
inclined was the explanation of the fact that his 
good resolution lasted only a few weeks. For a 
time he did try, but his will was weak and he was 
so far behind in his studies that the work was 
doubly hard. In the end he relapsed into his old 
ways and spent more and more time with Gus 
Kiggins, while the renewed good-fellowship between 
the two roommates, which to Dan’s delight had 
been in evidence, was soon broken. Walter became 
more irritable and his feeling for Dan apparently 
was one of increasing dislike. 

But the days of the winter term passed rapidly 
and when spring arrived the prospects of the nine 
and the position it would secure in the new league 
became the absorbing matter of interest. Dan did 
his utmost to avoid meeting Gus Kiggins and was 
rejoiced as the days passed to find that apparently 
the effort was mutual. The two boys seldom met 
except on the diamond and there was no dispute 
as to Dan’s right to occupy the pitcher’s box. The 
players, the coach, and indeed the entire school, all 
were agreed, and great things were expected from 
Dan’s work. 


he ‘Pennant 


"Page 241 


Meanwhile Gus Kiggins doggedly continued to 
practise pitching and his work was of such a char- 
acter that he was looked upon as the substitute 
pitcher in addition to his work on first base, where 
he was acknowledged to be supreme. 

Little Carlton Hall had learned a few lessons 
not taught in the classroom and somehow had 
weathered the storms, although he still was not 
without his attentions from Gus Kiggins and others. 
His deep affection for Dan had increased steadily, 
and it was Dan who had strengthened the younger 
boy’s spirit of self-reliance and determination so 
that at last he had decided to remain in school, 
though his life there was not one of unalloyed 
pleasure. 

The first game of the league was now at hand. 
The nine of the Military Academy and their sup- 
porters were to come the following day, and excite- 
ment ran high in the Tait School. Dan, in spite of 
his quiet manner, was perhaps more excited than 
any of his fellows, realizing as he did how much 
success or failure would mean to him. 

The afternoon before the game Ned was sur- 
prised when Carlton Hall came to his room. 
“ What’s wrong, young man?” Ned demanded as 
he became aware of the excitement of his visitor. 

At the boy’s reply Ned was as much aroused 
as his caller, and seizing Carlton by the shoulders 
he demanded: “How do you know? Say that 
again ! Be careful now ! ” 

Q 


-Page 242 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ It’s just as I told you,” said Carlton. 

“ Say it again,” demanded Ned sharply. 

“ I was feeling lonesome,” began Carlton obedi- 
ently, “ and I wanted to be alone. I went over to 
those bushes back of the library and just stretched 
myself on the ground there behind them. While I 
was lying there Gus Kiggins and Walter Borden 
came along and sat down on that bench the other 
side of the lilac bushes.” 

“ How did you know who it was ? ” 

“ I peeked. I was just going to try to crawl 
away without being seen when I heard Gus say, 
‘ We’ll fix the pious fraud.’ ” 

“ Go on. What did Walter say? ” 

“ He said, ‘ I hate to do it, Gus.’ ” 

“ Did Gus say what he wanted Walter to do? ” 

“ You’re right he did.” 

“ What was it?” 

“ He wanted Walter to put some stuff in the 
water Dan drank or in something he ate before the 
game to-morrow.” 

“ What did he want him to put in it ? ” 

“ Ipecac. Gus said, ‘ That’ll make him sick 
enough to quit the box and it won’t hurt him a bit, 
either/ ” 

“ What did Walter say then?” 

“He said he didn’t want to do it. He said he 
didn’t like Dan any better than Gus did, but he 
didn’t want to go into any such low-down trick as 
that.” 



" ‘ l was just going to crawl away ’ 


‘Page 242 








































* 









c&he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 243 


" I should think he wouldn’t want to,” said Ned 
savagely. " But he agreed in the end that he’d 
do it?” 

“ Yes. I think Gus knew something that Walter 
was afraid he’d tell if he didn’t agree.” 

“ The sneak ! Did you hear either of them say 
when the trick was to be played ? ” 

" Some time just before the game.” 

“ How long did you lie there ? ” 

"All the time they were talking. I wanted to 
get away, but I didn’t dare move. If Gus Kiggins 
had found me he would have killed me,” said 
Carlton, shuddering as he spoke. 

“ What did you do then ? ” 

“ I waited till they went away and then I put for 
your room as fast as my legs could carry me.” 

“ Did you hear anything more ? ” 

“ That was all they talked about. Gus said if 
Walter would get Dan out of the pitcher’s box, then 
he would see to it that he — I mean Walter — was 
elected captain of the nine for next year.” 

"They’re a noble pair!” exclaimed Ned in dis- 
gust. " You’re sure you haven’t lisped a word of 
this to anyone ? ” 

" Not a soul.” 

" Then don’t. Don’t let a whisper of it get out.” 

" I won’t,” promised Carlton. " But you’ll see 
that nothing happens to Dan, won’t you ? ” he added 
eagerly. 

" Rest your infantile soul on that ! ” said Ned 


* 


Page 244 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


angrily. “ Now, you’d better go. I shouldn’t want 
Gus to find you here. If he should ever hear that 
you have told me what you have, what do you sup- 
pose would happen to you ? ” 

“ Gus would ” The lad stopped with a 

shudder. 

“ Of course he would,” said Ned sternly. “ You 
mustn’t let a word of this get out — not a word! 
Do you understand?” 

“Yes,” replied Carlton; “but I don’t want any- 
thing to happen to Dan ” 

“ Didn’t I tell you there wouldn’t ? ” broke in 
Ned. 

“ Yes; but I’m afraid. My! if Dan couldn’t pitch 
to-morrow and the Military Academy should beat 
us ” 

“ Go home and lock yourself in your room, for 
fear you’ll let out something about this! I’ll look 
after it. Don’t you be afraid! If you’ve told me 
the truth ” 

“ I’ve told you just what I heard Gus say,” broke 
in the little fellow. 

“ That’s all right, Carlton,” said Ned soothingly, 
as he saw the fear expressed on the face of his 
small visitor. “ I’m glad you came straight to me. 
I’ll look after it. Now, run along like a good little 
boy.” 

“ I’m going,” said Carlton, turning toward the 
door. Then facing Ned, he said tremblingly, “If 
Gus should find out that I’d told you ” 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 245 


“He won’t!” 

“ But if he should? ” 

“ Don’t be scared. We’ll attend to Gus at the 
proper time.” 

“ Maybe it won’t be till after he has killed me.” 

“ Don’t you give up the ghost till you have to,” 
said Ned to his frightened visitor. “ Good night, 
Carlton. Don’t forget to root your prettiest to- 
morrow when Dan strikes out the heavy hitters of 
the Military Academy. We may need every voice ; ” 
and Ned immediately sought Dan, whom he found 
alone in his room. “ How are you, Dan ? ” he 
inquired as he seated himself in an easy chair 
and looked keenly at his friend. “ Feeling fit for 
the game to-morrow ? ” 

“ My pedal extremities are a trifle chilly,” said 
Dan good-naturedly. 

“ I’ll risk them. That isn’t what I’m afraid of.” 

“What has frightened you? The nine of the 
Military Academy?” 

“ No.” 

“ What then?” 

“ I’m afraid for you, Dan.” 

“ Afraid of me? Well, I don’t know that I blame 
you. I’m almost afraid myself ” 

“ I didn’t say I was afraid of you, Dan. I said 
I was afraid for you.” 

“ What do you mean ? ” 

“ I’ve just heard of the dirtiest trick ever con- 
ceived by mortal man.” 


‘ Page 246 


‘U he ‘Pennant 


“ What is it ? ” inquired Dan quietly, as he looked 
steadily into Ned’s face. 

“ It’s a trick to put you out of the game.” 

“ What is it?” 

“ It’s a scheme to feed you on ipecac just before 
the game begins.” 

“ If I don’t swallow it I sha’n’t have any trouble, 
shall I?” 

“ No. But ” 

“ Who is to do the trick ? ” 

“ You can guess who is behind it. It’s the lowest, 
meanest thing I ever heard of ! If I really believed 
it all, I’d ” 

“ Don’t you believe it ? ” broke in Dan. 

“ I don’t know just what to think. I confess I’m 
afraid.” 

“ You haven’t told me just what it is that scares 
you.” 

Thus bidden, Ned, without mentioning any names, 
related what Carlton had reported to him. “ What 
do you think, Dan?” he asked, when he had com- 
pleted his story. 

“ I don’t believe there’s a fellow in the school 
who would be guilty of such a low trick ! ” said 
Dan positively. “ I guess it’s a false alarm. We’re 
all nervous over the game.” 

“ Maybe that’s so,” said Ned, his countenance 
brightening a little. “ Still, it’s better to be on the 
safe side,” he added cautiously. 

“ What can be done ? ” 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 247 


“ You can be on your guard anyway.” 

“ I might not eat or drink anything,” suggested 
Dan with a smile. “ Then I’d be safe anyway.” 

“And be in no condition for the game. No; I’ll 
tell you what we’ll do, Dan.” 

“ What?” 

“ To-morrow we’ll stick together after luncheon 
till the game is called.” 

“ That won’t be much of a hardship,” said Dan 
lightly. 

“No; but if both of us are on the lookout it 
won’t be likely that anything can be done.” 

“All right. I’m agreed, though I haven’t a bit 
of fear.” 

“ I’m glad you haven’t ; I wish I were all clear in 
my mind too. But I’m not. We’ll keep both eyes 
open, Dan. Hello ! ” he added ; “ here comes Walter 
and Smith and Gus Kiggins.” 

The three boys entered the room and at once the 
subject of the game on the following day became 
the topic of conversation. To Dan’s surprise, both 
Walter and Gus appeared to be unusually friendly. 
Apparently all the feeling of jealousy which the 
latter openly had manifested toward Dan was gone 
and Walter glowingly predicted at least twelve 
strike-outs for his roommate. 

“Of course we want to win this game,” Walter 
said glibly. “If we can get those fellows scared, 
we’ll have an advantage in the other five league 
games we’ll have to play. Still, ‘ one swallow 


‘Page 248 


Uhe ‘Pennant 


doesn’t make a summer,’ and we’ll not cry if this 
game goes against us.” 

“ We aren’t going to lose this game if every 
fellow backs up Dan,” said Ned quietly. 

“ That’s just what we’re going to do,” declared 
Smith. 

“ That’s the idea,” said Gus. “If every fellow 
doesn’t do his level best, then we’ll know the reason 
why. I guess Samson has given it to the nine 
straight. He says he’s just a little afraid some one 
of us may put himself out of condition by eating or 
drinking something that won’t agree with him. I 
never saw Samson so nervous as he is over this 
game. Next year he’ll get his training table. He 
says the doctor has at last agreed. I think it will 
be a fine thing myself.” 

Dan glanced quietly at Ned while Gus was speak- 
ing and saw an expression on his face that caused 
the young pitcher to rise and say, “ Well, it’s time 
for me to go to bed. You fellows can go right 
on with your talk, but a good long sleep does more 
for me than all your patent methods put together.” 

“ There goes the warning bell anyway,” said 
Smith, as the chapel-bell rang out. “ We’ll all try 
Dan’s cure for nerves.” And the visitors at once 
departed from the room. 

If Dan, in his heart, believed any reliance was 
to be placed on what Ned had said to him concern- 
ing the plot, he did not betray his fear in any way. 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


‘Page 249 


There was an air of only partly subdued excite- 
ment in the school the following morning, but 
if Dan was watchful not even Ned was aware of 
his friend’s caution. The game was to be called 
at three o’clock. At luncheon-time Ned stopped at 
Dan’s room and the two boys went together to the 
dining-hall. 

“ You see,” said Ned lightly, “ I’m sticking to you 
like a brother. I don’t intend to let you get out of 
my sight one second between now and the game. I 
hope you’ll appreciate my oversight.” 

“ Glad to have you, though you’ll have your 
trouble for your pains,” replied Dan. 

“ I hope so,” was all that Ned said in response. 

The excitement of the morning was more mani- 
fest as the boys entered the dining-room. There 
were many glances of curiosity at the long table 
where the boys from the Military Academy were 
seated as the guests of the Tait School. 

“A fine-looking team,” said Gus Kiggins, as he 
seated himself beside Walter, whose place at the 
table was next to Dan’s. Opposite them sat Ned 
and Smith and Hodge. 

“ They’ll make us know we’ve been playing a 
game before we’re done,” said Hodge in response 
to the statement of Gus. 

“ You’re right they will,” joined in Smith. “ Dan, 
we’re all looking to you to uphold the honor of 
the school,” he added, as he looked across the table 
at the school pitcher. 


‘ Page 250 


he ‘Pennanl 


“ Oh, say something nice to Dan,’’ growled Wal- 
ter. “ He’s got troubles enough of his own with- 
out rubbing it in. What’s the matter, Dan?” he 
added ; “ you look pale. Anything wrong ? ” 

“ Not a thing,” replied Dan with a smile. “ I 
never went into a game feeling better in my life. If 
I don’t do all that you want me to I sha’n’t be able 
to charge it up to the way I feel.” 

“ That’s the way to talk ! ” growled Gus without 
looking up. “ Say, fellows,” he added, “ I’ve 
ordered some apollinaris lemonade for the nine. 
Samson won’t let us drink any water during the 
game, you know.” 

“ You’re all right, Gus ! ” exclaimed Hodge. “ I 
hope you’ll make an extra home run to-day.” 

The glasses were placed beside the plates, and as 
Ned looked keenly at Dan he shook his head slightly. 

“ I’ll tell you what, fellows,” said Smith, “ I’m 
never superstitious except before a ball game. Let’s 
all change glasses for luck.” 

“ That’s the idea! ” joined in Ned with a sudden 
eagerness. “ We’ll all exchange. Here, Smith, you 
give yours to Hodge, I’ll give you mine, and I’ll 
take Hodge’s.” 

“ That’s all nonsense,” exclaimed Gus abruptly. 

“ ‘ A little nonsense now and then is relished by 
the best of men/ ” spoke up Ned. “ Try it, fel- 
lows. Can’t do any harm anyway.” 

Dan laughingly had exchanged his glass for Wal- 
ter’s, though the latter was not aware of the 


‘C he ^Pennant 


Vage 251 


exchange, as at that moment he was looking back at 
the table where the opposing nine was seated. 

“ Have it your own way,” said Ned, who had 
seen the exchange, which had been unnoticed by the 
others. 

In a brief time the boys arose and passed out of 
the hall. 

“ Be down at the dressing-room at two sharp,” 
he called as the boys separated after they had left 
the building. 


<Page 252 


he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XXVI 
Walter's illness 

D AN and Ned proceeded directly to the dress- 
ing-room, the former somewhat downcast 
and the latter more lively even than he was wont 
to be. “ How do you feel ? ” he laughingly inquired 
of his friend as the two boys entered the room. 

“ I have felt better,” replied Dan quietly. 

“ What’s the trouble ? Are your pedal extremities 
chilly?” 

“ I have not noticed anything of that kind.” 
“Afraid?” 

“ Not of the Military Academy nine, if that’s what 
you mean.” 

“What then?” 

“Where is Walter?” Dan abruptly asked. 

“ I haven’t seen him since we left the dining- 
hall,” replied Ned, glancing keenly at his friend as 
he spoke. “ He’ll be here all right. You don’t need 
to worry about Walter, Dan.” 

“ Honestly, Ned, do you think there was anything 

in that change of glasses ? I’ll own up that I’ve ” 

“Anything in the lemonade?” broke in Ned 
hastily. 

“ You know what I mean.” 


'Che ‘Pennant 


Page 253 


“ Yes, I guess I do,” acknowledged Ned. “ Of all 
the vile tricks I ever heard of, that is the worst; 
that is, if there really was anything in what Gus 
was doing. It doesn’t seem possible that he or 
Walter could stoop to ” 

“ I’m waiting for Walter,” interrupted Dan. “ I’ll 
know when he comes. If he had a hand in 
that ” 

“What if he did? That’s just one more reason 
for showing the fellows to-day that you can’t be 
put out of the game that way.” 

“ It isn’t that.” 

“ Then, what is it ? ” 

“ I can’t make myself believe that Walter Borden 
would stoop to such a low-down trick. Why, only 
last summer he was one of the best fellows I ever 
saw. He was generous; he’d give away his last 
cent ” 

“If it didn’t cost him anything to do it.” 

“ All the boys liked him. He was just a little 
bit cocksure that he could give us all points on the 
game, but he was straight and true as steel — at 
least I thought he was.” 

“ Maybe it’s all right yet. That was a slick thing 
you did.” 

“What did I do?” 

“ When you changed your glass for his.” 

“ I’m sorry now that I did that.” 

“ I don’t see why you should be. If he’s sick, it’s 
his own fault. If he can’t play on the nine to-day 


T > age 254 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


I’ll put Sam Ventnor at short. He’s almost as good 
as Walter anyway. If Walter could play short just 
half as well as he thinks he can he’d get the fielding 
average of the league.” 

“ I wish he’d come,” said Dan. 

“ Don’t worry. If he doesn’t come it will be be- 
cause he has been studying harder than he ever has 
in his life before.” 

“ I don’t know what you mean.” 

“ Why, all I mean is that if he is taking a dose 
of his own medicine he will be the better off for it. 
If he isn’t taking it, then you’ve nothing to worry 
about as far as I can see.” 

The dressing-room was well filled now, and it 
became difficult to carry on conversation. The ex- 
cited boys were all striving to appear indifferent, but 
their attempts were not altogether successful. 
Neither Gus nor Walter had come and their absence 
was beginning to be noticed. 

“What has become of Gus and Walter?” in- 
quired Hodge as he drew on his shoes. “ I never 
knew either of them to be late at a game.” 

“ They’ll show up,” said Smith. 

“ Or down,” suggested Ned. 

“ What’s the difference ? ” asked Smith lightly. 
“ It’s all one to me.” 

“ There’s a big difference.” 

“ I don’t see it.” 

“ Well, suppose you should go into a hotel and 
ask the clerk for the price of rooms — — ” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


• Page 255 


“ I’ve done that many a time. I was in the Gor- 
ton last Easter vacation — * — ” 

“ What did he tell you ? ” 

“Who — the clerk? He said they had rooms 
from two dollars up.” 

“ Well, now suppose he had said, after he’d 
looked you over, that in your case the price of 
rooms would be two down. Would that make any 
difference, Smith?” 

“ Yes,” laughed Smith. “ I think it would. But 
I don’t see ” 

“ Here comes Gus Kiggins ! ” broke in one of 
the nine. “ Walter is his shadow, and he can’t be 
very far away. Hello, Gus ! ” he added. “ What 
made you late ? Where’s Walter ? ” 

“ He’s sick,” replied Gus gruffly as he began to 
don his suit. 

“ Sick ! ” exclaimed Hodge, as he and the other 
members of the nine crowded about Gus. “ What’s 
the matter with him ? ” 

“ Ask somebody who knows ! ” retorted Gus, as 
he looked angrily at Dan. “ I can’t tell you.” 

“ Won’t he be able to play? ” asked Ned. 

“ That’s more than I know. There wasn’t any- 
body to stand by him, so I stayed with him in 
his room till just now. He has been vomiting and 
he’s lying on his bed now. His face is as white as 
chalk.” Gus glared at Dan while he was speaking, 
until the others also turned and looked questioningly 
at the young pitcher. 


‘Page 256 


‘‘Che Pennant 


“ Did Dan make him sick ? ” 

“ Ask him. He can tell you better than I can,” 
growled Gus. 

“ Dan, did you do anything to him? ” Ned asked 
quizzically as he turned to his friend. 

“ What could I do ? ” replied Dan, his face be- 
traying his trouble. 

“Did you send for a doctor?” asked Hodge of 
Gus. 

“ No. Walter wouldn’t let me.” 

“Why not?” inquired Ned. 

“ He said he’d be all right in a little while.” 

“Probably something he ate,” suggested Hodge. 

“ Or drank,” said Ned in a low voice. 

“ What do you mean by that ? ” demanded Gus, 
turning sharply to Ned. 

“If you don’t know, I can’t explain. Come on, 
Dan,” he added, turning to the pitcher. “ Come on ; 
we’ll run up to the room and take a look at the 
poor chap. 

“ We’ll be back by the time the rest of you are 
on the field. If we aren’t, Samson will bat flies 
for you.” 

Abruptly departing from the dressing-room, Dan 
and Ned ran to the dormitory and in a brief time 
entered Walter’s room. They found him standing 
beside the table and his pale face and general ap- 
pearance at once betrayed his suffering. 

“What’s the trouble, Walter?” inquired Ned. 
“ Are you sick ? ” 


“Che ‘Pennant 


‘ Page 257 


“ Awfully/' groaned Walter. 

“Had the doctor?” continued Ned. 

“ I don’t want any doctor.” 

“If you’re sick you ought to have one.” 

“ I’ll be all right in a little while. I’ll get into the 
game too, before it’s ended ! ” he added savagely. 
“ You can’t put me out in any such way as this ! ” 
The angry boy was looking directly at Dan as he 
spoke. 

“ You act as if you thought Dan was to blame,” 
said Ned. 

“Well, what if I do?” demanded Walter testily. 
“ He knows whether or not he had anything to do 
with it.” 

“ Yes, I guess we all know that without asking 
Dan,” said Ned quietly. “ We’ll have to start the 
game, Walter, without you. If you feel better a 
little later ” 

“ Who’s going to play short? ” broke in Walter. 

“ I’ll put Sam Ventnor in for a while.” 

“ It’s just a part of a trick to shut me out,” de- 
clared Walter fiercely. 

“ Let me tell you what will be good for you,” 
interrupted Ned in a low voice. 

“Why don’t you say it?” asked Walter sharply 
as Ned waited. 

“ Have you ever thought of trying ipecac?” 

“Have I what?” Walter was staring at Ned, 
and to the two boys it almost seemed that his pallor 
deepened. 

R 


Page 258 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


“Have you thought of trying ipecac ?” repeated 
Ned soberly. “ It’s said to be good for some things 
as well as for others.” 

“ I don’t know what you mean.” 

“ Think it over and perhaps you’ll find out. If 
you don’t, ask Gus Kiggins. He may be able to help 
you find out. If you feel better, Walter, come down 
to the field.” 

“Walter,” inquired Dan, who had been silent 
throughout the conversation, “ don’t you want me to 
stay here with you ? ” 

“And not pitch?” demanded Ned, aghast, as he 
turned to his friend. 

“ I guess Walter will be all right by the time I’m 
needed.” 

“No! I don’t want you here! ” almost shouted 
Walter. “ I wish you never had been here! You’ve 
made trouble ever since you entered. I was a 
fool ” 

“ Don’t say ‘ was,’ say 4 am,’ ” broke in Ned 
sharply. “That’s a fine way to talk! You know 
what is the matter with you just as well as I do. 
And Gus Kiggins came down to the dressing-room 
talking in his charming way about somebody that 
had made you sick. Well, I guess somebody did 
give you a dose! It would have done you more 
good if he had doubled it. And you thought it was 
for Dan ! Sometime, maybe, you’ll know enough to 
know that the cat which a monkey uses to pull his 
chestnuts out of the fire gets his paws burned. It 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 259 


would serve you right if I told the whole school 
about the dirty trick you and Gus planned to 
play on Dan. Now that you have a dose of your 
own medicine, you sit up here and whine and cry 
like a spanked baby.” 

“ Come on, Ned, it’s time for the game,” broke 
in Dan as he grasped his friend by the arm. “ Wal- 
ter,” he added, “ you heard what Ned said, that 
if you feel up to the mark a little later, you are to 
come on down and he’ll put you into the game. 
Come on, Ned! ” 

Almost reluctantly Ned turned and without an- 
other word departed from the room. At the door 
Dan glanced back at Walter who, speechless, was 
staring at his departing visitors. Aware that Ned 
was almost beside himself with rage, Dan led the 
way hastily down the stairs. As the boys turned 
toward the athletic field, Dan said: “Now, Ned, 
you are in no condition to say anything. Don’t say 
a word about this to the boys.” 

“Why not?” demanded Ned fiercely. “It’s the 
worst thing I ever heard of ! ” 

“ Don’t say a word about it.” 

“ I shall ! I’ll let the whole school know ” 

“Not if I am to pitch,” said Dan quietly. 


‘Page 260 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XXVII 

THE LEAGUE GAME 

F OR a moment Ned stared blankly at his com- 
panion, and then said : “ Dan, you certainly 
beat anything I ever saw or heard of. I don’t know 

which is the bigger fool, you or ” 

“ Is it a bargain ? ” broke in Dan with a smile. 

“Of course it is, if you say so. There isn’t any- 
thing else to be said.” 

“ All right then. Now forget all about it, Ned. 
We’ll just go in to put the Military Academy nine 
where it belongs. You’re sure of the signals?” 

“ I can put you easy on that score.” 

“ I know it. Just look at the crowd,” Dan added 
as the two boys obtained their first view of the 
assembly. “ I never played before a crowd like 
that!” 

“ You don’t mind? ” asked Ned a little anxiously. 
“ I can tell you more about that a little later,” re- 
plied Dan quietly. 

“ Go right in and begin to warm up. We haven’t 
much time to spare.” 

Both boys at once went upon the field — Ned to 
make certain that his players were ready, while 
Dan ran to one side of the diamond, where he began 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 261 


to pitch easily to Smith, who, for the time, was 
receiving the ball. 

As Dan occasionally glanced at the spectators, he 
saw that almost numberless carriages and auto- 
mobiles were in line on both sides. In front of 
them were men and boys close to the ropes. The 
seats in the grand stand were a solid mass of color. 
Indeed, seldom had the athletic field of the Tait 
School presented such a gay appearance as that 
which now greeted his eyes. If Dan was fearful, 
his manner did not betray his feeling; and when, 
after a brief delay, the umpires took their places and 
the Tait School nine, in accordance with the arrange- 
ment that the home team was to have the last in- 
ning, advanced to their positions in the field, no one 
apparently was more unconcerned than he. Sam 
Ventnor was short-stop in Walter’s place. Gus 
Kiggins loomed large at first base, Ned was behind 
the bat, Hodge at third base, and Smith was in left 
field. The ball was being swiftly thrown from one 
baseman to another, but the eyes of the visitors 
were all centered upon Dan as he slowly advanced 
to the pitcher’s box. The umpire signaled for the 
ball to be thrown him and as soon as he received 
it he slipped it into his pocket, tossed a new ball 
to Dan, and called sharply, “ Play ball ! ” 

The first game of the series in the new league was 
begun. 

“ Ball ! ” called the umpire as Dan sent the first 
ball swiftly to the outstretched hands of Ned. 


‘Page 262 


c Uhe Pennant 


“ Two balls ! ” was the announcement which fol- 
lowed the young pitcher’s second attempt. 

“ Three balls ! ” was the third call of the umpire, 
and a scattered cheer arose from the followers of 
the Military Academy nine. 

“ Steady, Dan,” called Hodge from third base. 

The pitcher slowly turned and glanced at the 
field. He saw that his companions were all some- 
what nervous and there was a smile, whose mean- 
ing was plain, on the face of Gus Kiggins. If Dan 
shared in the prevailing feeling he did not manifest 
it by his actions. Deliberately he studied the batter, 
then drew back his arm and swiftly sent in the ball. 
Whether the speed of the little sphere or its puzzling 
curve misled the player or not Dan did not know, 
but it struck the batter full in the shoulder. 

A shout arose from the spectators as the player, 
rubbing the wounded spot, started toward first base. 
“ Up in the air! ” “ Got him going! ” “ Wild as a 
hawk ! ” were among the gleeful calls from the 
friends of the Military Academy. An expression 
of anxiety appeared on the faces of the supporters 
and even on those of the members of the nine of the 
Tait School. Dan, however, did not change his 
quiet manner. If he was disturbed by the unfor- 
tunate beginning, he did not show it. Apparently 
ignoring the dancing runner, he slowly faced the 
next batter and then suddenly and with terrific speed 
sent the ball to Gus Kiggins at first. 

The baseman, perhaps caught unaware, dropped 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 263 


the ball when the runner was at least two feet off 
the base. A shout like the sharp report of a pistol 
at the misplay arose from the academy contingent, 
and the nervousness of the school nine and its 
friends increased. 

Ned advanced from his place behind the bat and 
holding his mask in his hand held a brief whispered 
conversation with Dan. The action of the catcher 
was greeted by another derisive shout which did not 
tend to soothe the feelings of the excited boys. In- 
deed, for a moment it almost seemed as if the entire 
body of spectators was in an uproar. 

Dan settled back into his box and apparently 
ignoring the shouts and excitement sent in a swift 
straight ball at which the batter struck in an attempt 
to bunt. The ball rolled slowly to Dan, who 
pounced upon it in a flash, whirled about, and threw 
swiftly to the second-baseman. The ball was caught 
and then thrown to first, where Gus Kiggins caught 
it just before the runner touched the bag. 

“ Double play ! ” “ That’s the way to do it ! ” 

“We’ve got them started now!” “Two out and 
the third man as good as gone ! ” It was now time 
for the supporters of the Tait School to give vent 
to their feelings, and the many shouts and calls 
finally united in a prolonged school cheer. 

Dan meanwhile was keenly watching the player 
who now advanced to the plate. A sturdy, solid, 
muscular fellow he appeared to be, and the call for 
a “ home run,” which was raised by several among 


‘Page 264 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


the friends of the academy nine, at once revealed to 
the young pitcher that he was facing one of the 
heaviest hitters of the opposing nine. He hesitated 
a moment, waited for Ned to repeat his signal for 
a swift low incurve, and then pitched the ball. 

“ Strike ! ” shouted the umpire. 

“ Strike two ! ” he called again when a swiftly 
pitched ball seemed suddenly to swerve from its 
course as it came near the plate and almost threaten 
the face of the batter. 

Drawing back his arm and “ winding up ” his 
body as if he was striving to exert every ounce of 
power he possessed, Dan delivered the third ball. 
Instead of being a swift ball, however, it was slow, 
and its curve, as it crossed the plate, apparently 
was outward. The excited batter, however, in his 
zeal, struck viciously at what he confidently believed 
was to be an unusually swift ball and swung his bat 
before the little sphere had even reached the plate. 

“ You’re out! ” called the umpire. 

Disregarding the cheers of the spectators, the 
luckless batter waited for Dan to come in and then 
said to him good-naturedly, “ You got me that time.” 

“ I was lucky,” responded Dan pleasantly. 

“ I wish I believed it was just * luck.’ Next time 
I’m up, I’ll know a little more about it.” 

It was now that the Tait School nine was to show 
what it was able to do with the bat. Various reports 
had come as to the quality and ability of the battery 
of the academy nine, but, like Dan, the young pitcher 



« c 


‘Uhe pitcher handled himself well 


‘Page 265 















































































































































c 7jhe ‘Pennant 


Page 265 


was a new boy, consequently no one was able to 
speak authoritatively. He assuredly was the one 
player whose actions were most keenly observed 
when the academy players took their first turn in 
the field. The pitcher was tall, wiry, and handled 
himself well in the preliminary practice. 

“ South-paw,” muttered Ned as he watched In- 
gersoll, the pitcher of the academy nine. 

“ That’ll be my finish then,” said Hodge gloomily. 
“ I can’t hit a left-hander. It’s like striking at the 
moon.” 

“ Don’t give up before you begin,” said Ned 
sharply. 

“ Oh, I’m not a dead one yet,” retorted Hodge, 
as he selected his bat and advanced, as the first 
batter, to face Ingersoll. 

A hush fell over the entire assembly as the mo- 
tions of the lanky pitcher were keenly watched by 
all observers. A laugh was heard as Ingersoll 
twisted his long arms and body almost as if he were 
trying to tie it into a knot. Suddenly from the 
squirming arms the ball shot forth and Hodge 
struck wildly at it, though he did not come within 
six inches of the little sphere. 

“ Strike ! ” shouted the umpire promptly. 

“ That fellow is going to wear himself out before 
the sixth inning if he keeps that up,” said Ned to 
Dan as they were seated side by side on the players’ 
bench. “ He can’t keep that up.” 

Dan, after his usual quiet manner, did not reply, 


* Page 2 66 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


though he was keenly observant of his rival in the 
box as was his friend. 

Another strike, then two balls, quickly followed 
Hodge’s first attempt, and then the batter struck 
savagely at the ball that followed and sent it slowly 
rolling toward third base. The baseman easily 
stopped the ball, threw it to first, and Hodge was 
out. 

“ Next victim,” muttered Ned as he stepped for- 
ward to the plate. Ned, however, was more fortu- 
nate than his predecessor, for after one strike and 
two balls had been called he lifted the little sphere 
for a safe hit over second base. 

“ Now, Gus, remember your country’s need,” said 
Smith, as Gus Kiggins’ turn to bat came and the 
young giant stepped forward. “Don’t forget that 
you’re to make a sacrifice hit.” 

If the batter heard the direction he gave it no 
heed, for he sent the first ball pitched far over 
the head of the left-fielder. Almost on a straight 
line the ball sped on, rolling swiftly when at last it 
struck the ground, while both the left-fielder and 
the center-fielder of the academy ran in swift pur- 
suit. Pandemonium almost seemed to break loose 
among the boys of the Tait School. They rose from 
their seats and swung their caps, dancing up and 
down in their excitement as they shouted and 
cheered wildly. The excitement became still greater 
when Gus turned third base and followed Ned to- 
ward the home-plate. The ball by this time had 


‘‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 267 


been secured and the left-fielder had thrown it, 
exerting all his power, to the short-stop, who had 
run back to secure it. 

There were now wild calls for Gus to increase 
his speed. Ned already had crossed the home- 
plate, but Gus was fifteen yards away. On and 
still on plunged the heavy hitter and the ball was 
in the hands of the academy short-stop. Ignoring 
the wild shouts of the dancing boys the player 
turned and threw swiftly to his catcher. The throw 
was accurately made and the ball was caught in the 
outstretched hands of the academy catcher when 
Gus was five feet away, but the runner did not 
hesitate. Throwing himself with all his weight 
against the waiting player the two boys fell to- 
gether to the ground. Gus instantly arose, but the 
other player did not move. The ball had rolled from 
his hand, and a shout arose when it was learned that 
the run was to count. Silence, however, quickly 
followed the noisy demonstration when it was seen 
that the academy catcher did not rise. Several of 
his teammates ran to his assistance and as they lifted 
the player to a standing position the latter, in part 
regaining his breath, turned angrily to the umpire 
and said, “ He fouled me ! He struck me with his 
fist in the pit of my stomach ! ” 

“ I didn’t see it,” responded the umpire quietly. 

“ Well, he did ! ” repeated the catcher. “ It was 
dirty ball ! ” 

There were glances of anger turned upon Gus, 


‘Page 268 


Uhe ‘Pennant 


but the panting player apparently was unmindful of 
them all. He seated himself beside Dan on the 
bench and in a brief time the game was resumed. 

The following batter struck out and Dan, who 
followed him, sent a short fly to second base, and 
the side was out. 

In the next two innings neither side was able to 
score. Dan struck out two of the academy players 
in each inning and one was out on a high foul which 
Hodge caught. The first hit of the academy nine 
came in the third inning, when one of the players 
drove a sharply hit ball past first base, close to the 
foul line. In trying to stretch the well-placed hit 
into a two-base hit the runner was thrown out at 
second base. 

On the other hand, the nine of the Tait School 
had not succeeded in scoring again. In the third 
inning two hits were made, one by Smith and one 
by Walter’s substitute, Sam Ventnor, but both were 
held on bases when a double play was made by the 
short-stop and first-baseman, the former catching 
a fly well back in the field and recovering himself 
in time to catch Ned in an attempt to regain first, 
which he had secured by a base on balls, thereby 
filling the bases. 

“Good work, old man,” said Ned to Dan as 
the Tait School players started for their positions 
at the beginning of the fourth inning. “ Keep it up 
and we’ll shut out these fellows. We’ve a good 
lead.” Dan smiled, for the words of praise were 


c Tjhe Pennant 


* Page 269 


vastly encouraging. He was confident that he had 
recovered from the nervousness he felt at the be- 
ginning of the game and, furthermore, he was now 
aware that the batters, as they faced him, betrayed 
in their manner the respect they had for his prowess. 
It was true that two runs did not permit any care- 
lessness — the margin was too narrow. But he had 
found in preceding games that his power of endur- 
ance could be relied upon and that his work in the 
closing innings was never weaker than at the be- 
ginning. 

“ There comes Walter,” he said to Ned as he 
stopped and saw his roommate approaching. “ I 
wonder if he is in shape to play? He has his 
uniform on, anyway.” 

“ I’ll see next inning,” said Captain Ned 
brusquely. “ We seem to be getting on fairly well 
without him.” 

“ Give him a chance, Ned,” pleaded Dan. “ I 
know how he feels.” 

“ I know how he ought to feel,” growled Ned. 
“ I’ll see about him when we come in to bat again.” 

Dan said no more and walked slowly toward the 
pitcher’s box. Already the infield players had taken 
their places and the ball was being passed swiftly 
from one to another. The noisy demonstrations of 
the spectators now had given place to a deeper, 
though more quiet, feeling of excitement. Every 
play was watched anxiously and in spite of the 
prevailing quiet Dan knew as well as the other 


Page 270 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


players that the shouts and cheers would break 
forth again at the first opportunity a hit or play 
might provide. 

Dan was standing with his face toward third 
base watching the work of Hodge, who at that mo- 
ment was throwing across the diamond to Gus, the 
latter quickly and swiftly returning the ball. 

Suddenly Gus threw swiftly to Dan, who was 
unaware of the change. “ Look out ! Look out, 
Dan ! ” shouted Hodge warningly. But the word 
was not heard in time by the young pitcher. The 
ball which Gus had thrown with unusual swift- 
ness struck Dan squarely on his right arm between 
the elbow and shoulder. 

With a cry of pain Dan clasped the spot with his 
left hand and bending low almost fell to the ground. 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 271 


CHAPTER XXVIII 

THE END OF THE GAME 

I N a brief time the confusion spread over the 
entire assembly. Ned ran to his friend and the 
players of both teams swarmed upon the field. 
Even the spectators shared in the prevailing excite- 
ment and were standing looking interestedly at the 
group which by this time had surrounded Dan. 

Among the first to reach his side was Gus Rig- 
gins. “ Honestly, Dan, I didn’t mean to do it,” he 
said excitedly. “ I thought you saw me ! I’m 
sorry ! I’m ” 

“Get away, will you!” broke in Ned savagely. 
Thrusting aside the player who had been the cause 
of the trouble, Ned examined the arm which already 
was showing the effect of the blow. “ Does it hurt 
much, Dan ? ” he inquired anxiously. 

The young pitcher smiled faintly and did not 
reply, though the paleness of his face fully answered 
his friend’s query. 

“ Let me rub it,” suggested Hodge. 

“ Get some water — hot water,” added Smith, 
every boy being anxious to do something for the 
relief of Dan. 

“Can you go on with the game?” asked Ned. 


‘Page 272 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ I’ll try,” answered Dan by an effort. “ Let me 
see if I can throw.” Taking the ball from the 
umpire’s hand Dan swung his arm, but quickly 
dropped the ball. “No use,” he said slowly. “ My 
arm won’t work.” 

The members of the nine glanced helplessly at 
one another and then glared at Gus, the source of 
all the trouble. 

“ I told you I didn’t mean to do it,” Gus growled. 
“ I thought he saw me. We were all passing the 
ball ” 

“ Gus, do you think a dose of ipecac would help 
him? ” said Ned in a low voice to his first-baseman. 
There was almost a glitter in the eyes of the young 
captain, he was so angry. Nor did his feeling find 
relief when Gus Kiggins growled, “ What’s the 
matter with you ? ” But he did not reply to the 
question. 

The delay continued five minutes and then the 
game was resumed with Gus taking Dan’s place 
in the pitcher’s box, Walter going to short-stop, 
and Sam Ventnor playing first base. Dan, who 
was taken to the dressing-room to receive the atten- 
tion of a physician, who was found among the 
spectators, in a brief time returned to the field and 
seated himself on the players’ bench, there to watch 
the game in which he was to have no further part. 
The glances of sympathy which were given him as 
he had walked in front of the grand stand on his way 
to the bench had not soothed his feelings and to the 


^ he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 273 


three substitute players who were sitting beside 
him he barely spoke in reply to their anxious ques- 
tions. 

“ Does your arm hurt ? ” asked Snell, the first 
substitute. 

“ That’s a fine question,” answered Dan some- 
what tartly. “What did you think? Would it 
make my pitching arm feel good to hit it with a 
ball?” 

“Of course. I understand,” said Snell lamely. 
“ All I meant was to find out if you thought you’d 
get in the game again.” 

“Not this game. What’s the score? How is it 
going?” 

“ The Military Academy fellows made a run last 
inning.” 

“ This is the fifth inning.” 

“ No. It’s the sixth.” 

“ How is Gus doing? ” 

“ Pretty well. They’re hitting him some, though. 
There ! Look at that, will you ! ” Snell added 
abruptly. “ A three-bagger ! ” 

At the moment a shout that came almost with 
the sharpness of the report of a gun arose from 
the seats occupied by the friends of the academy 
nine. Two men were on bases when their heaviest 
hitter came to bat and when his long hit was made 
the two players before him raced home with their 
tallies. 

“ Dan, you’ll have to go back to the pitcher’s 
s 


‘ Page 274 


‘‘Che ‘Pennant 


box ! ” exclaimed Snell as the cheering of the op- 
posing section was renewed when the runner on 
third came in with the third run of the inning, after 
the batter had sent a long fly to left field which 
Smith captured. 

“ I wish I could,” said Dan quietly. 

“ You must. That makes the score four to two. 
We can’t stand that. They’re hammering Gus! 
They’ll drive him out of the box.” 

“ That doesn’t look as if they would,” suggested 
Dan as the next player struck out. 

“ Three in one inning,” muttered Snell hopelessly. 

“ The game is young.” 

“ If it is that bad when it’s young, what will it 
be when it is older ? ” 

“ Better for us, I hope.” 

The school players came toward the bench, every 
one looking anxiously at Dan and eagerly inquiring 
concerning his hurt. The glances of anger at Gus 
when it became manifest that Dan was out of the 
present game were frequent and unmistakable. The 
substitute pitcher, however, apparently was giving 
slight heed to the looks of his comrades. His face 
was streaming with perspiration, while his jaws 
were working as if every second of time had its 
special value. 

Between Gus and the other members of the nine 
sat Walter, his face still betraying the sickness 
he had suffered and his bearing showing that he was 
far from feeling at ease at the moment. He glanced 


'fthe ‘Pennant 


•Page 275 


repeatedly at Dan, who was the center of a group, 
but he did not speak. 

“ Brace up, fellows!” said Ned anxiously as he 
faced his fellow players. “ Now is the time to 
show the stuff you’re made of! We mustn’t let a 
little thing like a lead of three runs scare us. Do 
your best ! ” 

The encouraging words of the young captain did 
not avail, however. The lanky Ingersoll seemed to 
have acquired an additional power in his wirelike 
arms and his body went through contortions that 
made his earlier efforts appear like child’s play. 
Walter struck out. Sam Ventnor sent a little fly 
to the first-baseman. Gus Kiggins indeed made a 
hit, but it counted for nothing, as the batter that 
followed him was easily thrown out at first. 

The Military Academy nine, however, did no 
better when their turn to bat came and neither of 
the following innings was productive of a run for 
either side. 

“ We’ve just got to do something now,” said 
Ned desperately as he turned to his companions a 
moment before he advanced to the plate to begin 
the Tait School’s half of the eighth inning. 

“ Set us a good example, Neddie boy,” said 
Hodge encouragingly. 

Ned’s face was grim with determination as he 
faced the opposing pitcher. He was deliberate and 
cool and waited until two strikes and two balls had 
been called before he attempted to strike. Then 


•Page 276 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


hitting savagely, he sent the ball on a low line far 
into center field. 

It was now the turn of the Tait School to ex- 
press its feelings in a long shout. The wild cries 
redoubled as Ned gained third and then with a burst 
of speed turned and raced for the home-plate. The 
ball was fielded well and now was in the hands 
of the second-baseman, but the nerve-racking strain 
was too great. In his attempt to throw quickly the 
.ball went far over the head of the catcher and Ned 
was safe. 

“ Five to three ! Five to three! Five to three! ” 
came as a monotonous chant from the seats of the 
academy contingent. The cry could be heard above 
the wild shouts of the Tait School supporters, who 
still were shouting wildly over the hit and the run 
of their captain. 

“ Remember the example Ned set,” said Smith as 
Hodge stepped forward with his bat. “ Keep it up, 
you midget ! ” 

The spectators were silent once more as all ex- 
citedly watched the batter. The powerful Hodge 
made a lunge at the first ball pitched and sent it 
just over the head of the third-baseman. 

“ A hit ! ” “ You’ve got them on the run now ! ” 
“ Keep it up ! Keep it up ! ” were the rejoicing calls 
that greeted Gus as his turn to bat came. 

This time the young giant for some reason was 
more responsive to his orders and instead of exert- 
ing all his strength he did his utmost to make a 


e Tjhe ‘Pennant 


7>age 277 


sacrifice hit, but the ball rolled to second base, was 
hastily seized by the baseman, who touched his base, 
and then hurled the ball to first just in time to 
catch Gus. 

“ Double play ! ” “Two down!” “This fellow 
is easy!” roared some of the enthusiasts in the 
academy section. “ Strike him out ! ” “ Don’t let 

him hit it ! ” “ Careful ! ” “ Careful ! ” were among 
the encouraging words shouted to the tall pitcher. 

Apparently Ingersoll responded to the appeal, for 
he struck out the next player and the side was out. 

As all were aware that the incoming inning was 
the last for each nine, the excitement became more 
intense. When the Military Academy nine made a 
run the delight of their supporters became still 
greater, and though the confidence of the academy 
contingent was strong, nevertheless they were all 
anxious when the Tait School hitters came to bat 
for what was likely to be the last time in the game. 

Every player was cautious now and if in his 
anxiety he did not become overanxious the score 
was not likely to be changed. Ned was slapping his 
players on the back and urging everyone to do his 
utmost. The last opportunity to score ought not to 
be lost. 

“ Up in the air ! ” shouted Smith, who was on the 
coaching line near first base when Walter, the first 
player to face Ingersoll, was given his base on balls. 
In his delight Smith leaned over and pulled grass 
with each hand as he continued his wild shouts. 


‘Page 278 


i Uhe Pennant 


The academy, however, responded vociferously 
when the next man struck out, and their shouts were 
prolonged and wilder when the following batter sent 
up a fly which was caught by the nimble player in 
right field. 

“ All over but the shouting ! ” called one hilarious 
supporter of the academy. 

“ Is it ? ” called Smith derisively, as the runner 
he was coaching started swiftly for second base, 
and out of the cloud of dust that was stirred up as 
he threw himself forward the decision “ safe ” was 
heard. 

To the delight of the nine Walter boldly started, 
at the first ball pitched, for third base, and when 
it was seen that his steal had been successful the 
shouts and calls redoubled. A hit now would mean 
another run, and if the batter gained his base an- 
other run which would tie the score was not impos- 
sible. The wild calls died away a brief moment and 
then burst forth in redoubled power when the batter 
drove a sharp grounder between first and second 
and Walter made “ home ” with another run. The 
brief rejoicing hushed when Ned lifted a high fly 
into left field. The fielder first ran back, then 
turned and raced forward, and then stopped, await- 
ing the coming of the ball. A deathlike silence fell 
over the field and benches alike. Every face was 
turned toward the young fielder. Gus ran forward 
from the bench and crouched low as he watched the 
ball. Apparently it seemed to be falling slowly. 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 279 


The fielder stood motionless. Suddenly he put up 
his hands and caught it. The nine of the Military 
Academy had won the first game of the interschool 
series by a score of five to four. 

A noisy cheer greeted the catch and then in com- 
parative silence the assembled spectators began to 
move from the seats toward the waiting auto- 
mobiles and carriages. The crowd halted a mo- 
ment to listen to the cheers which the victorious nine 
gave as they assembled and then to the cheers of 
the Tait School nine. 

The latter stood close together, every player rest- 
ing his hands on the shoulders of a teammate. The 
cheer rose with a great volume of sound, but in it 
there was to be detected something of the disap- 
pointment everyone felt. The game had been well 
played, but defeat was still defeat. 

“ Too bad, Ned,” said Dan as his friend walked 
beside him. “ We’ll try to do better next time. It’s 
early in the season yet, you know.” 

“ How is your arm? ” asked Ned abruptly. 

“ Sore.” 

“ That’s the way we all feel,” snapped Ned. “If 
you had kept on we’d have won the game.” 

“ That’s something no man knows.” 

“ It’s what everybody here knows ! ” 

“ Never mind. Perhaps being beaten in the first 
game will make us all the better for the series. 
Isn’t the Military Academy nine about the strongest 
in the league?” 


Page 280 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ It isn’t so strong as ours when you pitch. What 
do you think, Dan; did Gus do that on purpose?” 

“ He says he didn’t.” 

“ No one believes him.” 

Dan did not reply and at that moment Carlton 
Hall came running to the side of the young pitcher. 
“O Dan!” he exclaimed. “Wasn’t it too bad? 
Didn’t you see Gus Kiggins when he threw that 
ball?” 

“ It wouldn’t have hit me if I had.” 

“ Some of the fellows say he did it on purpose 
just the same as he tried to get you out of the game 
by making you sick beforehand.” 

“ Who says so ? ” demanded Dan sharply. “ You 
mustn’t listen ” 

Dan stopped abruptly as Walter and Gus at that 
moment joined the three boys. Had Carlton’s words 
been heard? Dan was unable to determine from 
the expression on the face of the player who had 
taken his place in the pitcher’s box. Even the 
thought, however, was forgotten in the words which 
Gus spoke. 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 281 


CHAPTER XXIX 

THE ANGER OF THE NINE 

D O you fellows believe I meant to hit Dan ? ” 
asked Gus, as he joined the boys and walked 
beside them on the way to the dressing-room. 

“ What makes you think we do? ” asked Ned. 

“ Do you think I intended to hit you, Dan ? ” 
asked Gus, turning to the young pitcher. 

“ You did hit me/’ said Dan quietly. 

“ I know I did ; but you can believe me or not, 
I didn’t mean to. I’ll own up that I threw the ball 
hard, but I thought, of course, you saw me.” 

As Dan did not reply, Ned said to Gus, “ Have 
you any idea what made Walter sick?” 

“ Why do you ask me that ? ” retorted Gus. 

“ He seemed to be suffering from a peculiar 
trouble. He was deathly sick and then, in a little 
while, he was all right again. He put up a good 
game after he went in at short.” 

“ Do you think I had anything to do with his 
being sick ? ” 

“ I didn’t say you did. I just asked you if you 
knew what made him sick ? ” 

“ I suppose I’m to blame for that error Hodge 
made in the fifth inning too,” said Gus gruffly. “ If 


Vage 282 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


anything goes wrong, then I’m the one to blame. 
I don’t know why all the fellows are down on me. 
I pitched my prettiest after Dan was — after he 
gave out. I’m to blame for losing the game too, I 
suppose.” 

“ We haven’t ‘ blamed 9 you for anything, Gus,” 
said Ned warmly. “ You’re getting away off the 
track.* All I asked you was whether or not you 
could give a guess about what made Walter 
sick. You have switched off on to something else 
and haven’t said a word about that.” 

“ What do you want me to say ? ” 

“ Whatever you choose.” 

“ I don’t see why you suspect me of making 
Walter sick. What earthly reason would I have 
for wanting to get him out of the game? ” 

“ Was there anyone you wanted to put out of the 
game?” Ned’s face was flushed and, as he looked 
straight at Gus while speaking, the latter was unable 
entirely to conceal his uneasiness. 

“ Here comes Walter. Ask him if he thinks I 
tried to poison him,” said Gus. 

“ Feeling better?” inquired Ned, as the short- 
stop walked beside him. 

“ I’m all right now,” said Walter quietly. 

“ Walter,” said Ned, “ we were just asking Gus if 
he had any idea what it was that made you sick just 
before the game.” 

“ Did he tell you ? ” inquired Walter, as he looked 
half angrily at Gus. 


< £T he ‘Pennant 


Page 283 


“ He didn’t say you had too much ipecac in the 
apollinaris.” 

“ He didn’t say what?” interrupted Walter 
aghast, staring first at Ned and then at Gus. 

“ He didn’t say that you got the wrong glass, 
but ” 

“ I wish you’d say right out just what you’ve got 
to say,” broke in Walter peevishly. “ I’m not good 
at riddles.” 

“ Oh,” said Gus Kiggins with a growl, “ the fel- 
lows are all down on me. First they say I tried to 
disable Dan’s pitching arm ; then they say Hodge’s 
error in the fifth was my fault; then the reason why 
none of them could hit Ingersoll was because I’d 
fixed it up with him; and now they say I doctored 
your lemonade and made you sick. Give a dog a 
bad name ” 

“ Look here, Gus Kiggins ! ” broke in Ned with 
eyes flashing. “ You know you’re just talking to 
hear yourself talk. We happen to know about that 
ipecac.” 

“ What about it?” 

“ You had it all fixed for Dan.” 

“ Oh, I tried to make Dan sick too, did I?” said 
Gus in real or pretended scorn. “ Next you’ll 
have me down for trying to poison the whole 
school. Why should I want to play such a trick as 
that upon Dan? If you should accuse me of want- 
ing to get Ingersoll out of the game ” 

“ No use, Gus,” broke in Ned quietly. 


•Page 284 


C C he ‘Pennant 


“ That’s the worst of it. You condemn me with- 
out hearing a word.” 

“ We have heard. We know all about the scheme 
you and Walter ” 

“ What ‘ scheme ’ are you talking about ? ” 
shouted Gus. 

“ Just what I’m telling you. Someone overheard 
you two talking it over and we decided that we’d 
just be ready for you.” 

“ Who heard us ? ” demanded Gus. 

“ Never mind. Somebody heard you. That’s 
enough, isn’t it ? ” 

“ Why didn’t we do it then ? ” 

“ It wasn’t the fault of either of you that it didn’t 
go through.” 

“ What do you mean ? ” 

“ That lemonade had been fixed.” 

“ Then why wasn’t every fellow sick ? ” 

“ Because only one fellow was to be ” 

“ Who was that?” 

“ Dan.” 

u Why didn’t he get sick then ? ” 

“ Because we let Walter have the glass intended 
for Dan.” 

“ I’d like to know who put any such stuff as that 
into your heads ! ” said Gus savagely. “ I’d show 
him ” 

The angry young giant stopped abruptly as his 
eyes fell upon little Carlton Hall who, with great 
pride, was walking beside Dan. As the glance of 


‘C he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 285 


Gus fell upon him, Carlton slunk back in terror and 
clutched Dan by the arm. 

“ It might help to clear up matters a little if you 
would kindly explain how it was that Walter hap- 
pened to be sick after he took the glass which was 
intended for Dan,” said Ned bitterly. 

“ There isn’t any use in my saying a word,” de- 
clared Gus as he turned away. “ You wouldn’t 
believe me, under oath.” 

“ That’s right ! ” said Smith, who had not known 
of the plot, and his surprise and anger were conse- 
quently greater. 

Gus turned abruptly and for a moment the boys 
believed he was about to attack Smith, but if that 
was in his mind he evidently thought better of his 
purpose as he became aware of the unfriendly 
glances of all in the group. 

“ We haven’t come to the end yet,” called Ned 
as Gus departed. 

The indignation of the boys increased as they 
entered the dressing-room and it might have fared 
ill with Gus if he had remained with his com- 
panions instead of proceeding directly to his own 
room. 

“ It’s the worst I ever heard ! ” said Smith. “ I 
knew that Gus was jealous of Dan, but I didn’t be- 
lieve even he would stoop to such a low-lived trick 
as to try to keep him out of the game by feeding 
him on ipecac ! How did you find out about it any- 
way, Ned? ” 


‘Page 286 


c Uhe Pennant 


“ Somebody overheard the talk,” answered Ned 
glancing at Walter, who had remained with the 
boys. 

Not a word had Walter spoken since he entered 
the room. His face was colorless and his suffering 
was manifest to all, but the troubled boy, as he 
occasionally looked about him, saw only the expres- 
sion of anger and disgust on every face. Dan too 
had been silent and his face betrayed an anxiety 
hardly less than that of Walter’s. In a brief time 
the boys were dressed and departed. 

As they came out of the building Carlton Hall, 
who had been waiting for Dan, rushed to the side 
of his friend and seizing his hand said in a low 
voice, “ I’m afraid.” 

“ W]hat are you afraid of?” asked Dan with a 
smile. 

“ Gus Kiggins. When he started for his room he 
saw me and I thought he was going to strike me.” 

“Why didn’t he?” 

“ I don’t know. He stopped all at once and then 
went right on.” 

“ He won’t touch you.” 

“Yes, he will! I know he will! He’ll kill me, 
because he thinks I was the one that heard him talk- 
ing to Walter.” 

“ Don’t be scared. If he sees you acting in this 
way, then he may think you had something to do 
with it. Run along now and don’t act as if you 
were frightened. He won’t hurt you.” 


'Uhe Pennant 


* Page 287 


Carlton obediently departed, and Dan’s heart, as 
he watched the little fellow, almost smote him. The 
boy had developed wonderfully during the school 
year, but he was a slight lad and not able as yet 
to fight his own battles. Then too, Dan had spoken 
more confidently than his real feelings had war- 
ranted. He was by no means certain that Gus 
would not wreak his vengeance upon the boy, who 
was unable to defend himself. And yet Gus had no 
knowledge that Carlton had been the informer, and 
the thought relieved his fear. 

“ How is your arm, Dan ? ” inquired Hodge as 
he joined his friend. 

“ Sore,” replied Dan lightly. 

“ It’s a wonder it wasn’t broken. What a low- 
down, sneaking piece of business that was. Don’t 
you think Gus did it on purpose ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ You’re too easy. All the fellows know that he 
had made up his mind that you shouldn’t keep him 
out of the box. And he got the place too — worse 
luck ! He made us lose the game.” 

“No one knows that.” 

“ Everybody knows it ! ” retorted Hodge. “ The 
low-lived sneak ! I don’t envy him when the school 
finds out about it. This place will be too hot for 
Gus Kiggins! It isn’t the first time, either, that 
he has been up to his dirty tricks.” 

“What’s the use, Hodge? If it is all true, why, 
I’m the one that had the worst of it ” 


‘ Page 288 


he ‘Pennant 


“ When we lost the game ? ” broke in Hodge. 
“Not much ! If we had won, Gus might have put 
on a bold face and carried his bluff through, but 
now he’s a home boy as sure as you’re born. Be- 
lieve me, he won’t stay around here long.” 

Dan would have been less than human if the words 
of praise and sympathy had not found a warm re- 
sponse in his heart. He had endured the taunts and 
flings of Gus Kiggins, aware in part that the boy 
was jealous of him. Seldom had anyone crossed 
the path of the school bully; those who were not 
afraid of him preferring to leave him to himself, 
while those who were afraid seldom disputed his 
claims. Even Dan, inexperienced as he was, had 
found that there was a measure of satisfaction in 
the thought that Gus had vented his anger upon 
him because he was jealous of the skill that had 
been shown. Dan knew that if he had displayed no 
ability in the pitcher’s box, Gus would have ignored 
him. Among the few words Mr. Borden had 
spoken to Dan was one warning which had not been 
forgotten. “ Don’t forget,” Mr. Borden had said, 
“ that no man ever does well without somebody be- 
ing envious of him. The true man understands that 
and does not let the petty jealousy of others trouble 
him.” 

Dan recalled the words now and the recollection 
helped him. He was in deep trouble as he thought 
of Walter. The boy, somehow, had come under the 
influence of Gus, until his life was poisoned. What 


c C/je ‘Pennant 


Page 289 


would Walter say now? How would he bear the 
feeling of the school, for there could be no doubt 
he would share with Gus the indignation all felt. 
These questions were in Dan’s mind when he went 
up and found Walter alone in their room. 


T 


* Page 290 


‘U he ‘Pennant 


CHAPTER XXX 
dan's struggle 

T HE two boys stood a moment looking at each 
other in silence. Walter was the first to 
speak and his voice trembled as he said : 

“ Dan, do you believe it ? ” 

“ I don’t want to,” replied Dan quietly. 

“ But do you ? ” 

“Yes; at least, I believe a part.” 

“ Which part?” 

“ That about the ipecac.” 

“ What don’t you believe ? ” 

“ That Gus Kiggins intended to hit me with the 
ball.” 

“ Surely you don’t think I had anything to do 
with that ! ” 

“ Of course I don’t, Walter.” 

“ Do you think I had anything to do with the 
ipecac ? ” 

“ You know better than I do about that.” 

“Do you?” said Walter persistently. 

“ I hate to believe it, Walter.” 

“ That means you think I did.” 

As Dan was silent the troubled boy looked at 
his roommate in a manner that increased the 


‘‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 291 


uneasiness of both. As Dan glanced out the win- 
dow a moment he saw Carlton Hall running across 
the campus toward the dormitory, but he gave the 
little fellow no thought. He was troubled now 
by more serious matters than the trials of a boy 
in the fourth form. 

“ Dan,” said Walter at last, “ I’m the most miser- 
able fellow in the Tait School.” 

“ I'm sorry.” 

“ It seems as if everything and everybody was 
against me. I don’t know why it is that Gus got me 
into such things.” 

“ Don’t you ? ” 

“ No, I don’t,” said Walter irritably. 

" Walter,” said Dan quietly, “ didn’t you know 
what kind of a fellow Gus was when you began to 
run with him? ” 

“ I thought all the fellows were down on him. 
He isn’t as bad as some of them say he is.” 

“ That’s very likely so.” 

“ But this thing is the worst ” 

“ What thing?” 

“ Oh, you know what I mean. This ipecac busi- 
ness.” 

“ Why did Gus want to make me sick ? ” 

“ You know that too. He expected to be the 
pitcher of the nine. Everybody else expected him to, 
be too. At first Gus was down on me for bring- 
ing you here, but he got over that. He had two 
plans going — one was to make you just sick enough 


*P age 292 


e Uhe ‘Pennant 


so that you couldn’t play in the game with the 
academy or, if you did play, that you’d fall down 
and the fellows would have to call on him ; and the 
other was to try to have the officers of the league 
bring a charge against you — that you were a pro- 
fessional — had been paid for playing.” 

“ How did Gus think he could do that ? ” 

“He had a letter from that harness-maker at 
Rodman ” 

“Who? Si?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Well, he didn’t say I was a professional, did 
he?” 

“ Not exactly ; but his letter was a funny one. 
Even you would laugh if you should read it.” 

“What did Si write?” 

“ A lot of stuff. He praised you to the skies 
and went on to say that every man, woman, and 
child in Rodman knew that you had had an offer 
to play on a professional team ‘ for big money,’ as 
he put it. Of course his letter was worded in such 
a way that one might think you had been paid ” 

“ I understand,” said Dan shortly. “ Did Gus 
write the letter?” 

“ Ye-es, though I’m afraid I helped,” said Wal- 
ter slowly. 

“ How did Gus know about the harness-maker ? ” 

“ I’m afraid I told him that too,” said Walter 
wretchedly. “ But the letter hasn’t been used,” he 
added eagerly. 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


•Page 293 


“ How do you know it hasn’t ? ” 

“ Why — you see — I thought — I thought I had 
the letter in my pocket ! ” exclaimed Walter aghast 
as, after feeling in every pocket, he failed to find the 
missive. 

“ Probably Gus has it or has had it and sent it 
on,” said Dan. 

“ That isn’t square, Dan ! ” 

“ Maybe it isn’t. So Gus was holding back the 
letter until he had tried a dose of ipecac on me, 
was he?” 

“ That was the plan,” faltered Walter. 

“ Well, Gus pitched to-day anyway. He ought 
to be satisfied.” 

“ But he lost the game.” 

“ Say the game was lost.” 

“ It’s all the same. Dan, there isn’t any use in 
trying to mince matters. I can’t say anything. You 
know I was mixed up in the matter and it served 
me right too when I got the glass with the ipecac 
in it. I’m all broken up, Dan. Do you think you 
ever can call it square ? ” 

“ Walter,” began Dan soberly, “ I want you to 
know ” 

What it was that Dan desired to say was left 
unspoken for, at that moment, a loud piercing 
scream came from the hall below. 

Without a word Dan darted from the room 
and, leaping down the stairway, came face to face 
with Gus Kiggins. The burly giant was holding 


‘ Page 294 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Carlton Hall by his left wrist and was twisting the 
arm of the little fellow in a way that had brought 
forth the screams of pain which had startled the 
two boys. 

“ You little sneak,” Gus was saying to Carlton, 
“ you will go and tell the fellows that I tried to 
make Dan sick, will you? I’ll teach you! You’ll 
get what you deserve if I have to ” 

Gus stopped abruptly as Dan stood before him. 
“ Let go of the little fellow,” he ordered. 

“ I’ll let him go just as soon as I have — • — ” 

“ Let him go ! ” interrupted Dan in a low voice. 

“ I’ll let him go ! ” shouted Gus as he abruptly 
released his grasp on Carlton and turned savagely 
upon Dan. ‘‘You’re another! You’re a fraud! 
You run around with your pious whine and try to 
do the ‘ good little boy ’ act ! I’ve been aching to 
get a chance at you, you bean- fed, white-livered, 
country hypocrite ! ” Raising his fist he struck 
blindly at the boy before him. 

Dan, who was cool, stepped nimbly to one side 
to avoid the blow and Gus lurched heavily forward. 
Before he could recover himself, little Carlton Hall 
suddenly flung himself forward and grasped the 
knees of the infuriated young giant. Gus staggered 
as he strove to free himself and as he released one 
foot he kicked viciously at the prostrate boy. Carl- 
ton’s grasp relaxed and, with a groan, he fell upon 
the floor. 

The sight of the white upturned face was more 


^he Pennant 


“Page 295 


than Dan could endure. Without a word he flung 
himself upon Gus, exerting himself to the utmost to 
thrust him out of the open door. Instantly Walter 
joined in the fray but, even with his aid, Dan 
was scarcely able to move the struggling giant. 

How the contest would have ended he did not 
know, but at that moment Hodge and Ned entered 
the hall. For an instant they gazed in astonishment 
at the sight of the combatants and then the meaning 
of it all became clear. Without a word they seized 
Gus, and while one held his right arm and the other 
his left, the furious boy was speedily helpless, if not 
subdued, in their hands. 

“ Now then, Gus Kiggins, what have you got to 
say for yourself?” demanded Ned, as he looked 
into the face before him. 

“ You’re all down on me. Nobody in the school 
gives me a fair show,” whimpered Gus. Then, 
crazed by his rage, he suddenly exerted himself with 
all his strength and breaking away with an unex- 
pected action ran swiftly to the door and fled from 
the building. 

“ He’s gone,” said Ned breathlessly. 

Dan did not speak, but turning hastily to Carl- 
ton, who was still lying where he had fallen, he 
lifted the little fellow and said, “ Are you hurt? ” 

" My side. He kicked me,” whispered the boy. 

Briefly Dan related to his friends what had oc- 
curred and with many exclamations of anger Ned 
assisted Dan to carry Carlton up to his room, where 


Page 296 


‘‘U he ‘Pennant 


an examination was made after Carlton had been 
placed on a bed. 

“ I don’t believe he is badly hurt,” said Hodge. 
“ He had his wind knocked out of him by that hard 
kick; that seems to be about all.” 

“ I’ll go for a doctor,” suggested Walter hastily. 
But Carlton himself protested so strongly that the 
plan was abandoned — at least for the present — 
and then the four boys seated themselves to talk 
over what had occurred and what was to be done. 

“ That fellow will leave to-night if he knows 
what is good for him!” said Ned angrily. “He’s 
the worst I ever saw. Did he hurt your pitching 
arm any more ? ” he added, turning to Dan as he 
spoke. 

“ I don’t know. I can’t just tell,” replied Dan. 

“ Do you think you can pitch next week ? ” 

“ I guess so.” 

“ We’ll be in a hole if you can’t. Come on. We’ll 
go over and get the doctor started on it right away.” 

“ Hold on a minute, fellows,” said Walter. “ I’ve 
got something I want to say to you.” 

“ Say it and be quick about it,” replied Ned 
brusquely. 

“ I want to tell you all that I’ve been a chump.” 

“ That’s right, Walter, you certainly have,” said 
Hodge brutally. 

“ I know it a good deal better than you do,” con- 
tinued Walter, his face betraying his deep feeling. 
“ There isn’t any use in my saying I’m sorry. I 


^he Pennant 


‘ Page 297 


don’t see how I could have done it. If you fellows 
want to put somebody in my place at short, I’ll agree 
to it. I’ll agree to anything that you may suggest. 
From now on, I want to be fair.” 

“ Don’t say any more, Walter,” interrupted Dan. 

“ Let him say it,” protested Ned. “ It’ll do him 
good. When a fellow has let himself be made a fool 
of by such a chap as Gus Kiggins, he can’t do 
any more ” 

“ That’s right. He’s said enough. We all under- 
stand.” 

“ Do you call it off, Dan ? ” demanded Hodge. 

“ I most certainly do.” 

“ Well, if you are agreed, I don’t think there’s 
much for the rest of us to say.” 

“ Come on, Ned,” suggested Dan uneasily. “ I 
thought you wanted me to go over to the doctor’s 
with you and get something for my arm.” 

“ I do,” said Ned, rising promptly. “ We’ll settle 
this later,” he added, as he faced the boys. 

“ It’s all settled now,” said Dan quietly. “ Every- 
body makes mistakes. I didn’t know what a butter- 
plate was for when I came.” 

Walter’s face flushed at Dan’s words and his 
roommate hastily added, “ Will you look after Carl- 
ton till I come back ? ” 

“ I don’t want anybody to look after me,” spoke 
up Carlton sturdily, “ I’m all right.” 

“Good for you, kid!” laughed Hodge. “We’ll 
make a man of you yet.” 


•Page 298 


c Uhe ‘Pennant 


“ I’ll look after him, Dan, or do anything you 
want,” said Walter humbly. 

“ Don’t be too good, Walter,” laughed Ned, who 
was as rejoiced as his companions over what had 
been said. “ There’s such a thing as being too good 
to be true, you know. Come on, Dan ! ” 

When the two boys returned from the doctor’s 
office, both were astounded by the report of the do- 
ings of Gus Kiggins — a report which Walter and 
Carlton were waiting to give them. 


^he ‘Pennant 


<Page 299 


CHAPTER XXXI 

THE FINAL GAME 

W HAT do you think ! ” exclaimed Walter ex- 
citedly, “ Gus Kiggins has left ! ” 

Left ? ” demanded Hodge. “What do you 
mean ? Has he left school ? ” 

“ Yes. That’s exactly what he has done. Packed 
up bag and baggage and left town on the evening 
train.” 

“ Without a word? ” asked Hodge, unable to con- 
ceal his surprise. 

“ Yes, sir; he’s gone for good.” 

“ How do you know ? ” 

“He told me so himself. I went over to his 
room to tell him it was all off between him and 


“You went to his room?” broke in Dan. 

“ Yes, that’s just what I did. After I found 

out that Carlton was not going to die ” 

“ I’m all right,” interrupted Carlton sharply. The 
little fellow’s face was still white and betrayed the 
pain he still was suffering, but the boy’s determina- 
tion was so manifest that the older boys in the 
room were quick to see and approve his newly found 
courage. 


<Page 300 


^ he ‘Pennant 


“ That’s the way to talk, kid,” said Hodge en- 
couragingly. “ ‘ Never say die.’ You’re learning 
to be something more than mamma’s nice little boy. 
The Tait School will make a man of you yet.” 
Then turning to Walter he added, “ Go on with 
your merry tale.” 

“ I didn’t know at first,” resumed Walter, “ but 
that he was going to do me as he did Carlton, he 
was so nearly beside himself. When I told him I 
was done with him he was worse than ever. He 
said that was just like me, I’d be like the fellows 
I was with last and that Hodge and Ned and Dan 
had set me up to it.” Walter steadily held to his 
story, though Dan at least was aware of the effort 
it cost the impulsive boy to relate what Gus had 
said. “ He said,” continued Walter, “ that he wasn’t 
going to see even the doctor, he was just going to 
leave, and the sooner he could get out the better it 
would be for everybody.” 

“ I guess he was wise,” laughed Hodge. “ I’m 
glad he’s gone.” 

“ I did my best to calm him down,” said Walter, 
“ for I knew he’d be sorry by to-morrow. He 
wouldn’t listen to a word I said, though, and now 
that he has really left I don’t feel sorry. I’m sorry 
I let him make such a fool of me as he did. I can 
see it all now.” 

“ Walter,” said Ned more seriously, “ did it ever 
occur to you that Gus Kiggins might have a suc- 
cessor ? ” 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


’ Page 301 


“ I don’t know what you mean,” replied Walter, 
his face flushing as he spoke. “ Who will be his^ 
successor ? What kind will he be ? ” 

“ I’m not going to preach to you, Walter, for I 
don’t know how, but I’m telling you that a fellow 
is always ‘ up against ’ some such proposition. If 
it isn’t Gus Kiggins, then it’s some other chap that 
can do his work.” 

“ And you think when Gus’s ‘ successor,’ as you 
call him, comes along that I’ll be following him just 
the way I did Gus ? ” 

“ I .didn’t say that.” 

“ That is what you meant.” 

“ Walter is all right,” spoke up Dan quietly. 

“ He’s had his medicine ” 

“You mean the ipecac?” interrupted Ned. 

Even Walter joined in the laugh that followed, 
though his expression was not one of pure enjoy- 
ment. 

“ You know what I mean,” continued Dan. “ I 
had to learn what a butter-plate was for. It 
troubled me a good deal at first, but I got a lot of 
comfort out of the fact that every fellow had to 
learn something. If it wasn’t butter-plates, then it 
was something else. Walter, here, had to learn to 
stand up ” 

“ I was in the history class the other day,” piped 
in Carlton. 

“ Good for you, kid,” retorted Hodge. “ Glad 
to hear you were where you ought to be.” 


‘Page 302 


^he Pennant 


“ I was there in a way,” said Carlton. “ Mr. 
Sutherland called on me to recite ” 

“ I sincerely trust you did yourself proud,” sug- 
gested Hodge demurely. 

“ Oh, let the little fellow tell his story,” protested 
Dan. 

“ Go ahead, kid,” said Hodge good-naturedly. 

“ Mr. Sutherland asked me what were the five 
great races of mankind,” related Carlton. 

“ That’s dead easy,” remarked Ned. 

“ Maybe it is easy for you fellows. I thought 
it was easy myself, but when I told him that the five 
great races were the hundred-yard dash, the two- 
hundred-and-twenty-yards, the four-forty, the half- 
mile run, and the mile he didn’t seem to be a bit 
pleased with my answer. I’ll leave it to you fellows 
if that isn’t the truth. But Mr. Sutherland sent me 
out of the room.” 

A shout of delight came from the boys and what- 
ever of feeling may have existed apparently dis- 
appeared. 

“ You surely are coming on,” laughed Ned as he 
ruffled the little fellow’s hair. “ You’ll be on the 
nine yet.” 

“ Do you really think I ever will ? ” said Carlton 
eagerly. 

“If you keep on this way you’ll take Dan’s place 
in the box.” 

“ Speaking of the ‘ box ’ — who’s going to take 
Dan’s place now?” asked Walter. 


he ‘Pennant 


Vage 303 


“ No one — we hope,” replied Ned. 

“ Can he work next week? ” asked Walter eagerly. 

“ The doctor man says he thinks so, at least he’ll 
be good for a part of the game. The arm has a 
bad bump, but it’ll be all right pretty soon.” 

“ Great ! ” exclaimed Carlton excitedly, his face 
beaming with the worship of his hero. “ Then we’ll 
win the championship yet. There’s another game 
with the Military Academy ” 

“ On their grounds,” suggested Dan dryly. 

“ That won’t make any difference — if your arm 
is all right.” 

“ And our nine can hit enough to make a few 
runs,” suggested Ned. “ It’s all well enough to 
have a good pitcher, but all he can do is to keep 
the other fellows from scoring. That doesn’t win 
a game.” 

“ It keeps the other nine from winning, doesn’t 
it ? ” demanded Walter, now quick to come to the 
support of his roommate. 

“ I guess it does,” laughed Ned, “ but I’m telling 
you that we’ll have to do better work with the bat 
than we did to-day if we are going to win out in 
the new league.” 

“ We’ll do it,” said Walter confidently. 

The confidence in a measure was shattered when 
the following Saturday it was found that Dan’s arm 
had not entirely recovered. The departure of Gus 
Kiggins had been variously interpreted by the school, 
a few siding with him after he was gone, thereby 


'Page 304 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


displaying the fact that a school world is not unlike 
the great world outside. However, while the 
great majority of the boys were not sorrowing over 
the departure of the bully, nevertheless the prevail- 
ing feeling of anxiety concerning the pitcher for the 
school nine, in case Dan was unable to play, was 
great. Indeed, when the game came and those in 
attendance saw that Dan was not in the box, there 
were many to prophesy that the high school would 
win. 

At the end of the fourth inning the score was 
six to five against the Tait School. A great cheer 
arose when, in the following inning, Dan became 
the pitcher. 

“ Saving him,” explained Carlton excitedly to 
Ben White, who was seated next him in the cheering 
section. 

Whether Dan had been “ saved ” for this need 
or not, when he replaced Matteson, who had been 
called in from center field to do his best in the 
pitcher’s box, the scoring of the high-school nine 
abruptly stopped and as the Tait School nine scored 
four more runs the game was won by a score of 
nine to six. 

The return games in due course were also won 
by safe margins, but as the nine of the Military 
Academy had also won from one of the two schools 
and also had defeated the Tait School, the last- 
named nine was still tied for first place in the 
league. Indeed, as the series progressed it became 


‘‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


Page 305 


manifest that in reality the nines from the Military 
Academy and the Tait School far outclassed their 
rivals. The test between these two nines was to 
occur in the final game. If th*. academy should win, 
it could claim the championship t>y a game. 

The excitement in the Tait School never had 
run higher than on that June day when the entire 
student body in a special train started for the 
academy grounds. Cheer leaders, leaders of the 
school songs, and various other functionaries had 
been selected, new cheers and new songs had been 
carefully rehearsed, and if loyal support would aid 
Dan and his fellow players, then the Tait School 
nine ought to win. 

But the students of the Military Academy were 
equally well prepared to support their players, and 
song had been prepared to meet song and cheer 
to respond to cheer. 

On the grounds were the students of the two 
other schools in the league, both hopeless now of 
victory, but warm in their support of the rival nines 
that were to play that day and about equally divided 
in their allegiance. 

The scene was unlike any which Dan had ever 
beheld when he, with his companions, at last began 
their preliminary practice on the diamond. The 
stands were bright with color, and automobiles and 
carriages were several deep around the field. The 
sky was cloudless and the weather was intensely 
warm — a day when the players might do their best, 
u 


‘Page 306 


‘‘Che ‘Pennant 


but also one in which the endurance of both the 
nines would be severely tested. 

“ Great day for the game,” said Ned as he patted 
Dan on the shoulder when the latter took a ball in 
his hand and started toward ope side of the field 
to “ warm up.” 

“ Yes, one of the finest I ever saw. Look at the 
crowd, Ned,” added Dan as he glanced at the great 
gathering. 

“ Five thousand,” responded Ned as he too 
scanned the crowded seats. 

“ Not so many as that,” laughed Dan. “ Enough, 
though.” 

“ Make you nervous? ” 

“Not yet. Can’t tell what the effect will be 
later.” 

“ You’re all right, Dan,” said Ned cheerily, as 
he once more patted his friend on the shoulder. 
“ You don’t lose your head.” 

“ I don’t want to to-day ” 

Dan stopped abruptly as a treble call, “ Dan ! 
Dan ! ” came from the bleachers not far away. Both 
Ned and the young pitcher glanced in the direction 
from which the hail had come and saw little Carlton 
Hall standing erect and waving his cap frantically 
as he called the name of his hero. 

“What does he want?” said Ned. “Has he 
heard of more ipecac they’re to feed you ? ” 

“ No,” laughed Dan. “ He just can’t contain 
himself, that’s all.” 










•>x»* * : 




* '■& < 


■ ■::■• 


3 






m 




- 


• ■ ■■ ••: 


• ' - 


it l 


You ’re all right, Dan ’ 


* Page 306 














I 













C C 5 he ‘Pennant 


Page 307 


When at last the game began people were stand- 
ing several deep behind the seats. On the field back 
of the ropes the ground was covered with specta- 
tors almost as excited as the young players. 

“ Come here, Dan,” called Ned as he beckoned 
to his pitcher. Near Ned were the two umpires 
and the captain of the academy nine. 

“ What do you think? ” asked Ned. “ The crowd 
is so big that the umpires suggest that a hit into it 
ought to count for only two bases.” 

“ That’s as fair for one side as the other,” said 
Dan simply. 

“ All right, we’ll agree,” said Ned quickly. Be- 
fore the game was ended, however, the captain of 
the Tait School nine bitterly regretted the assent 
which he so readily gave to the suggestion. 

Dan now took his position and as he rubbed the 
ball in his mitt a final preliminary cheer came from 
the supporters of his nine. The young pitcher 
fancied that he could discern the shrill treble of 
little Carlton Hall in the midst of the shout. Wa- 
ving his hand a moment as a token that he had heard 
he stepped into his box and delivered the first ball. 

A shout went up from the friends of the academy 
as the ball struck the batter on the shoulder. Two 
or three of his mates gathered about him and 
rubbed the injured spot and then the player speedily 
took first base. 

“ Ball ! ” “ Two balls!” “ Strike!” “Three 

balls ! ” “ Take your base ! ” called the umpire in 


Page 308 


'Uhe ‘Pennant 


quick succession to the second batter who faced 
Dan. The shouting became a great roar as the 
runner on first moved to second base, while his suc- 
cessor took his place on first. 

Two on bases and none out! The loud and con- 
tinuous cheering changed to a wild incoherent cry 
of glee when the third player to face Dan sent a 
slow ball to Walter, which the usually reliable short- 
stop first fumbled; then started to throw to third 
base, but speedily changing his decision flung it to 
first base too late to catch the runner. Meanwhile 
the other two players had each advanced a base. 

Three on bases and none out! The Tait School 
contingent was silent and dazed, but their rivals 
were more than atoning. People were standing, 
hats were being thrown in the air, and the deafen- 
ing shouts were prolonged and continuous. 


cfthe “Pennant 


• Page 309 


CHAPTER XXXII 

CONCLUSION 

D AN was motionless a moment as he stood 
facing the next batter, whom he knew to be 
the heaviest hitter on the opposing nine. It was 
plain too, that the crowd also was aware of this 
fact, for loud cheers for White rang out as the 
batter advanced to the plate. There were repeated 
appeals for a “ home run ” and for the player to 
“ bring in everybody/' Indeed, in the prevailing 
excitement, the call did not appear to be unreason- 
able. White showed plainly that he was prepared 
to do his utmost and a moment of weakness on the 
part of the pitcher would be fatal. 

The wild shouts of the spectators sounded in 
Dan’s ears as if they were far away. Even the 
treble cry that arose alone like a discordant note 
from the supporters of the Tait School was not 
heeded by the young pitcher. He removed his cap 
and wiped his forehead before he stepped into his 
box. He saw Ned’s outstretched hands and read 
his sign for his best drop. Shaking his head as 
a sign that he understood, Dan glanced at the men 
on bases. The runner on second was far from his 
base and with his arms hanging loose was moving 


• Page 310 


he Pennant 


up and down the line as if he were a jumping- jack 
or a figure strung on wires. The runner on first 
started as if he were about to speed toward second. 
Dan responded by a quick throw to first, which 
just failed to catch the nimble runner as he safely 
regained his base and immediately began to repeat 
his tactics when Dan again prepared to pitch. 

This time Dan was not to be diverted, and he 
smiled grimly when the umpire called a strike. His 
smile deepened when the batter struck viciously at 
the next ball and sent a foul far behind Ned. 
Two strikes! The Tait School contingent seemed 
to regain a brief moment of hope and sent up a 
cheer. When White was called out on strikes as the 
next ball sped past him, a sharp yell, almost like the 
report of a pistol, broke from the excited schoolboys 
and the protests of the chagrined batter as he turned 
upon the umpire were speedily checked by the calls 
of the assembly to “ Play ball ! Play ball ! ” Three 
men were still on bases and there was only one out. 

Again a batter faced Dan and the latter was 
quick to see that the player before him was not only 
nervous but timid. Suddenly exerting all his 
strength the young pitcher sent the ball with terrific 
speed across the plate. 

“ Strike ! ” called the umpire promptly. 

Responding to Ned’s signal for a quick repetition 
Dan again shot the ball straight across the plate 
and the batter, not fully prepared for the swift 
delivery, struck too late. 


‘Uhe ‘Pennant 


‘Page 311 


“ Strike two ! ” called the umpire. 

A “ ball ” and a foul followed in quick succession 
and then Dan signaled that his favorite ball was to 
follow. Lifting high his arms as if he were striving 
to gain every ounce of strength he possessed he sent 
in the ball in the midst of a silence that was most 
eloquent of the deep feeling of the assembly. 

The batter, with every nerve tense, braced him- 
self and swung heavily upon what he believed was 
to be another swift ball. So completely was he de- 
ceived by Dan’s delivery that he struck before the 
ball reached him — a ball that rose slowly into the 
air, then almost seemed to stop and hesitate as it 
neared the plate, and then with a sudden drop shot 
in toward the batter. 

“ Three strikes ! Striker out ! ” called the um- 
pire sharply. 

The cheers now were almost as deafening from 
the supporters of the Tait School nine as they were 
from their opponents. Three men still were on the 
bases, but two batters had struck out in quick suc- 
cession. Everything now depended upon the next 
player to face Dan. Even a single hit would mean 
two runs. If Dan could only strike out the fellow 
his work would stand almost alone in the history 
of the school. Every boy was now watching the 
young pitcher. Was he nervous? The wild antics 
of the men on the bases redoubled. The runner on 
second took an additional lead and acted as if still 
more wires had been strung for him. 


Page 312 


^ he ‘Pennant 


But Dan was not to be diverted. He was deeply 
aroused, for he understood better than anyone 
the test that was upon him. He resumed his posi- 
tion in the box, once more looked at the runners, 
then ignoring their antics sent the ball in. A report 
like the crack of a falling branch followed and a 
wild shout went up as the ball was batted far back 
into the crowd along the left-field line. The ap- 
plause instantly died away when it was seen that 
it was a foul. Ned slapped his hands together as he 
stooped to face Dan again. A “ ball,” “ two balls,” 
were then called and the wild roar from the assem- 
bly was of the mingled appeals of the rival factions. 
“ A hit ! ” “ Strike him out ! ” “ Don’t let him get 
his base ! ” were among the frantic appeals of the 
excited spectators. Dan was unusually deliberate 
now. He looked long at the batter as if once 
more he was endeavoring to ascertain just what 
his weakness might be. Ned gave the signal for 
one of Dan’s swiftest low inshoots. The young 
pitcher nodded his head as a token that he under- 
stood. Drawing back his arm he delivered the ball 
as Ned had called for it. 

“ Three balls ! ” shouted the umpire promptly. 
People were standing on the benches now, appar- 
ently the excitement having passed all control. 
Parasols and banners were waving, as well as hats 
and arms. A scene of almost indescribable con- 
fusion was everywhere manifest. 

“ Two strikes ! ” called the umpire. 


'Tjhe ‘Pennant 


•Page 313 


The noise of the assembly instantly subsided, as 
every spectator now watched Dan. “ This ball will 
tell the story,” was the word heard in low tones on 
every side of the field. 

Once more Ned gave the signal for Dan's decep- 
tive slow ball. Dan agreed and became still more 
deliberate in his movements. Amidst the profound 
silence that had settled over the field he again 
turned slowly and gave the signal for his players 
to move a little farther in. Ignoring the clapping of 
hands and the renewed antics of the men on the 
bases he slowly raised his hands far above his head, 
turned swiftly about, and sent in the decisive ball. 
To all appearances he had used every muscle in his 
lithe body to give speed to the little sphere, but 
once more the ball rose slowly, then again almost 
seemed to stop as if to tantalize the batter and 
shot in swiftly toward the player, who had lunged 
heavily and almost swung himself about in his 
determination to hit. 

Before the umpire could be heard everyone in the 
great crowd knew the man was out and that Dan 
had performed the almost impossible feat of striking 
out three men in succession when the bases were 
filled. But if appearances were the measure, Dan 
Richards in his quiet way was the least concerned 
of all as, ignoring the cheers of the entire assembly, 
he walked to the bench. 

The Tait School nine, however, failed in their 
turn at the bat to do any better or even as well as 


Page 314 


‘Che ‘Pennant 


their opponents had done. The first two players 
ignominiously struck out and Dan, in spite of the 
loud cheers that greeted him when he walked to the 
plate, sent a slowly rolling grounder toward first 
base, which the baseman easily secured and touched 
out the runner on the line. 

Indeed, neither side succeeded in scoring until 
the fifth inning. In the four preceding innings the 
Tait School boys had made three scattered hits, not 
one of which placed a man beyond second base. On 
the Military Academy side White, the heaviest 
hitter, the second time he came to bat, sent a long 
liner over Smith’s head in the outfield, but by a 
great throw the runner was held on third and left 
there when the next batter struck out and retired 
the side. 

The noisy demonstrations of the crowd largely 
ceased as the game proceeded. The boys were play- 
ing a wonderful game for schoolboys and the op- 
posing pitchers were doing marvelous work. Dan 
had struck out seven and his opponent five when the 
fifth inning began. 

Walter, the first batter, was struck on the elbow 
by a pitched ball. For a moment the pain was 
almost unbearable and the lad twisted and writhed 
in his suffering, but pluckily refusing to have any- 
one run for him he proceeded to his base. On the 
first ball pitched he started swiftly for second base 
and as he threw himself forward and slid to the bag 
a cloud of dust arose that for a moment almost 


*U he ‘Pennant 


• Page 315 


blinded him. Instantly hearing the coaches call 
him to third he arose and dashed for the base 
not knowing where the ball was or what had oc- 
curred. Again sliding as he drew near the third- 
baseman, who was standing with outstretched hands 
he gained the place in safety before the ball, which 
had been thrown over the head of the second-base- 
man, was returned to third. As Walter was the 
fleetest runner on his nine, the chances seemed good 
to the friends of the school that a run would be 
secured, as only one was out. 

When Streator sent a ball between short-stop and 
third base Walter dashed home with his run, while 
Streator started swiftly to second, but was thrown 
out by the catcher. The next batter was retired on 
a short infield fly, but the school nine had secured 
one run and was leading. 

Another run was secured in the following inning 
by a hit which was followed by a long drive into 
right field by Ned, but he himself was left on third. 
At the beginning of the eighth inning the score 
stood two to nothing and the Tait School nine were 
beginning to be looked upon as the winners of the 
game. 

In that inning, however, a base on balls, a hit, and 
an error by Hodge placed two of the academy 
players on bases and as they quickly attempted a 
double steal, Ned threw swiftly to Hodge on third 
base. A groan arose from the supporters of the 
nine when the ball went far over Hodge’s head and 


•page 3/6 


c "Che ‘Pennant 


before he had raced back and secured it both players 
had run home and the score was tied ! 

Again pandemonium seemed to reign among the 
spectators. Every play and every player was wildly 
cheered, but both nines failed to score in the ninth 
inning. The tenth and eleventh innings also failed 
to produce a run for either side. In the twelfth, 
however, Walter made a hit and again stole second. 
Ned came to bat with sturdy determination to do or 
die. The first ball proved to be a strike, then a ball 
and a strike quickly followed. The next ball he 
struck with all his might and sent it swiftly down 
the line directly over third base and before the ball 
was sent in from left field Walter raced home with 
another run. 

By one consent the spectators rose as the academy 
nine came to bat in the twelfth inning. Every 
player was tense and all realized how much de- 
pended upon the efiforts of everyone. 

A shrill cry of delight when the first man struck 
out was followed by a groan when the short fly 
of the next batter was squarely muffed by Streator. 
The runner started for second on the first ball 
pitched, but when Ned’s throw was easily caught 
and the runner was out a renewed shout of glee 
went up. When the next batter at last struck out 
there was a wild scene. Boys and men rushed upon 
the field and singing, shouting, dancing in their ex- 
citement, started for Dan. The young pitcher, how- 
ever, had fled for the dressing-room and was 


^Che ‘Pennant 


‘Page 317 


nowhere to be seen. It was enough that the game 
and the championship had been won. 

The following day the nine met to elect a captain 
for the following year. When Ned called the meet- 
ing to order and declared nominations to be in 
order, there was only one name presented — that of 
Dan Richards. 

Slowly rising in his seat, Dan said quietly : “ I 
thank you, fellows, for the honor you have given 
me. I didn’t want you to do it. I’ve got enough to 
do to try to do my work in the box without the 
other. If you are willing I’d rather have you leave 
me free. I think Walter would make a good cap- 
tain. He made two of the three runs in the last 
game ” 

A storm of protests arose, which were led by 
Walter himself, but all that Dan would agree to 
was to wait until fall before he would definitely 
decide. 

The day after the closing of the school Dan and 
Walter were seated together in the train that was 
swiftly carrying them to Rodman. 

“ Walter,” said Dan slowly, when at last the two 
boys were near their destination, “ I’m not very 
much of a talker. I never have said much to you 
about what you have done for me ” 

“ Don’t say a word, Dan,” broke in Walter, his 
face flushing. “You’re not the one to talk.” 

“ Who is, then?” 

“ I am.” 


‘Page 318 


'‘Che Pennant 


“You!” 

“ Yes, sir. When I think what a fool I’ve been 
and how I treated you ” 

“ Don’t say any more,” interrupted Dan. 

“ Yes, I will say more,” protested Walter. “ All 
the while I was chasing around with Gus Kiggins, 
I knew I was a fool. I never believed I could do it, 
but I did and there’s no use in trying to deny it.” 

“ You didn’t do anything to me.” 

“ Then it wasn’t because I didn’t try. But I’ve 
got a new start now. I wrote my father so the 
other day. I told him too, all about you and that 
if it hadn’t been for you I’d have gone all the way 
with Gus.” 

“For me? Why, I haven’t done anything.” 

“ You didn’t do so much, Dan. It was what you 
were that made me feel like a goat all the time.” 

Dan was silent a moment before he said quietly: 
“ It has been the greatest year of my life. I can’t 
understand, though, why all the fellows have treated 
me as they have.” 

“Can’t you?” laughed Walter. “Well, I can. 
Say, Dan, that new league is a great success, isn’t 
it?” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Wait till we get the track and the football go- 
ing, as we shall next year! You’re going in for the 
eleven, aren’t you ? ” 

“ Samson wants me to.” 

“ So do we all. It will be greater next year than 


4 ?f he ‘Pennant 


‘Page 319 


it was this, though I hope never to see another 
such game as that with the academy nine. You 
struck out fifteen.” 

“ There’s Si waiting for us on the platform,” sud- 
denly suggested Dan, as the boys obtained a glimpse 
of the Rodman station. 

“ Do you suppose he has heard of that game, 
Dan?” laughed Walter. 

“ We’ll soon know,” replied Dan with a smile as 
he stepped out upon the platform, where the out- 
stretched hand of the harness-maker grasped his 
first of all. 

“ I say, Dan,” demanded Silas, “ I hear ye beat 
’em all.” 

“ Did you?” 

“ Yes, sir, I did! Have the New Yorks said any- 
thing to you yet ? ” 

“ Not yet,” laughed Dan. 

“ Wait till you hear of what Dan does next year,” 
suggested Walter. 


THE END 











\ 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



□ 0025L>70T30 



